After Paraguay-France fiasco, World Cup refereeing faces scrutiny | OneFootball

The World Cup’s officiating has come under intense scrutiny after Ilgiz Tantashev’s chaotic display in Paraguay 0-1 France in the last 16, raising awkward questions over standards and consistency.

According to L'Équipe, the Uzbek, 42, was given 1/10, only the third such mark in a decade, after Stéphanie Frappart and Mathieu Vernice in 2024. The uproar has been compounded by the decision to lift Folarin Balogun’s suspension following his red card for a dangerous, if inadvertent, challenge in USA’s 2-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32.

New 2026 directives target time-wasting, with 10 seconds for an outgoing player or a one minute wait for his replacement, and a five second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks that can hand the ball to the opponents, including a corner from a goal kick. VAR now covers second yellow offences and wrongly awarded corners, and players who hide their mouths in a heated exchange risk dismissal.

Consistency has already been tested. Miguel Almirón was sent off against Türkiye on 20 June for covering his mouth, yet three days later Jude Bellingham did likewise in England 0-0 Ghana without sanction, a grey area between friendly and conflict that is hard to police.

Appointment criteria remain opaque. Knockout ties usually go to seasoned European or South American officials, yet expansion has brought more referees from other confederations. Tantashev had already handled Scotland 0-1 Morocco on 20 June and Algeria 3-3 Austria on 28 June.

Source: L'Équipe