Paraguay-France: Referee Tantashev Rated 1/10 After Uncontrolled Match

Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev received a 1/10 rating from L’Équipe after officiating the Paraguay-France match at the 2026 World Cup, a contest marked by numerous unsanctioned fouls on the Paraguayan side.

According to official FIFA data, Tantashev whistled only 13 fouls against Paraguay over the entire match. Even more striking: the three yellow cards distributed during the game were all given to French players, while the Paraguayans committed multiple irregular interventions, including elbows away from the ball, sometimes right in front of the referee’s eyes.

The most telling incident occurred on the decisive penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé. Tantashev had not whistled the obvious foul on Désiré Doué — grabbed by both legs by a Paraguayan defender — and only VAR intervention forced him to review the footage before awarding the penalty. France ultimately prevailed thanks to Mbappé’s goal.

1998 World Cup winner Lionel Charbonnier harshly criticized the referee’s performance. “How could he allow that without even issuing a yellow or even awarding the penalty from 4 meters away… To ruin a match you need a complicit referee: there he is,” said the former AJ Auxerre goalkeeper.

The match is part of a long tradition of fierce duels between the two nations. In 1998, it took until the 114th minute and Laurent Blanc’s golden goal for France to eliminate Paraguay. In 2026, it was refereeing deemed inconsistent that dominated post-match debate.