Who is Ilgiz Tantashev, the Uzbek referee under scrutiny after France 1-0 Paraguay? | OneFootball

Ilgiz Tantashev, a 42-year-old Uzbek referee, took charge of France’s 1-0 World Cup last-16 win over Paraguay in Philadelphia on Saturday and has since come under scrutiny. Little known beyond Asia before this tournament, his name is now widely discussed.

He showed no yellow cards to Paraguay and awarded France’s decisive penalty only after a VAR review. L'Équipe reports that his display drew widespread criticism.

At his first World Cup, he had refereed only two games before France-Paraguay, including Algeria 3-3 Austria. His opener, Morocco 1-0 Scotland, angered many in Britain after he rejected two Scottish penalty appeals.

Born in Bukhara, he played as a centre-back then midfielder before a serious thigh injury around 15 ended hopes of a playing career. Early refereeing proved difficult, but by the third or fourth game he had grown to enjoy it.

He avoids intense films or stressful calls before matches, prefers comedies, and studies previous games of the teams he will handle, sometimes warning players on the pitch.

An assistant from 2008 at 24, he later became a central referee in Uzbekistan, rising in the AFC Champions League to handle two finals, most recently Al-Ahli v Machida Zelvia. He has overseen Asian World Cup qualifiers and Asian Cup ties up to the last 16, and was Uzbekistan Referee of the Year in 2021.

Since 2008 he has taken charge of more than 300 games, issuing 1,260 yellows and 33 reds. His first assignment outside Asia came at Paris 2024, where he oversaw France Under-23 wins against Guinea and Argentina in the quarter-final, a feisty tie with five French bookings, four for Argentina, and Enzo Millot sent off.

His tournament ended in the Spain v Morocco semi-final after an accidental collision with Abde Ezzalzouli and Marc Pubill led to his replacement. In 2025 he refereed Inter Milan v River Plate at the Club World Cup, which produced two River Plate red cards and a post-match melee involving Marcos Acuna and Denzel Dumfries.

Source: L'Équipe