France play down Tello appointment for Morocco quarter-final | OneFootball

France are refusing to dwell on the appointment of Argentine referee Facundo Tello for their World Cup quarter-final against Morocco in Boston on Thursday at 22:00, despite chatter about the Argentina rivalry and a potential rematch narrative.

According to L'Équipe, after Ilgiz Tantashev’s disastrous display in the 1-0 last-16 win over Paraguay, FIFA named Tello to handle the tie. The selection echoes the choice of Frenchman François Letexier for Argentina-Egypt, which stirred unease in Argentina given the rivalry and his supposed inexperience.

Dayot Upamecano said he would not concern himself with who the referee is, stressing France will focus on Morocco and on winning the game. Within the camp there is a wish to avoid insinuations, with the example given that France-Sweden was officiated by a Dutch referee even though the teams could have met.

Third-choice goalkeeper Robin Risser cautioned against sliding into paranoia, noting a lingering bitterness since the 2022 final, which finished 3-3 before Argentina won 4-2 on penalties. He added that if these referees are appointed, it is because they meet the level of the competition.

Tello, 44, has solid international experience. At this World Cup he has overseen South Africa-South Korea, 1-0, and Canada-Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1-1, having taken charge of three matches in 2022, including Morocco-Portugal, 1-0. Across his World Cup outings he has shown 16 yellow cards and one red, slightly above average.

Source: L'Équipe