Referee Barton forgets vanishing spray and halts Spain vs France World Cup semi-final

Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton was left visibly embarrassed during the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France in Dallas after arriving at a free-kick without his vanishing spray, bringing the match to a halt for over a minute.

The incident occurred when Spain were awarded a free-kick in a dangerous position, with Mikel Oyarzabal complaining that the French wall had crept forward. Barton, 35, glanced toward the touchline with a bemused expression before the fourth official jogged over to hand him the bottle. The free-kick itself came to nothing, but the delay was an unwanted moment of attention for an official hoping to make his mark on one of the tournament’s biggest games.

Barton would find himself at the centre of far more consequential action just 12 minutes later. He awarded Spain a penalty after adjudging Lucas Digne to have brought down Lamine Yamal from Marc Cucurella’s cross. Oyarzabal converted emphatically past Mike Maignan, giving Spain the lead. It was the first penalty Barton had awarded across his four matches at this World Cup.

Prior to the semi-final, the Salvadoran had officiated Paraguay’s win over Turkey, Japan’s draw with Sweden, and Switzerland’s penalty shootout victory over Colombia in the Round of 16. He has held FIFA referee status since 2018 and made his World Cup debut in Qatar in 2022, where he took charge of three matches including England’s Round of 16 victory over Senegal.

France entered the semi-final looking to reach the final four years after their dramatic defeat to Argentina in Qatar. Spain, the reigning European Champions, were chasing a place in the World Cup final of their own.