▲ France national football team manager Didier Deschamps
Didier Deschamps, manager of the French national football team, expressed strong dissatisfaction with the referee's decisions following his team's lackluster defeat to Spain in the semifinals of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup.
France, led by Deschamps, fell 0-2 to Spain in the semifinal match held at Dallas Stadium in Texas, USA, on July 15 (KST), ending their bid for a third World Cup title.
Despite boasting a powerful offense that had scored 16 goals in their previous six matches with an undefeated record, France failed to score a single goal and struggled against Spain in the semifinals.
Immediately after the match, Deschamps told reporters, "The players are in shock," adding, "We must admit that we were a step below in terms of technical ability compared to Spain, who controlled the game well."
Although he added, "Our mistakes came first, and I do not want to blame anyone," he did not hide his criticism of the referee, Ivan Barton from El Salvador.
In the 20th minute of the first half, referee Barton ruled a collision between Lucas Digne and Lamine Yamal as a penalty kick foul.
Despite protests from France, the decision stood, and kicker Mikel Oyarzabal eventually scored the opening goal with a shot into the top right corner of the net.
Deschamps pointed out, "I will ask a sharp question without expecting an answer. Is this referee truly at the level to officiate a World Cup semifinal?" He continued, "I am not saying this because we lost today. There were several situations (regarding the officiating)."
Deschamps, who took office in July 2012, has led France in four consecutive World Cups starting from the 2014 Brazil tournament.
With this tournament, he recorded 21 wins, 3 draws, and 3 losses in 27 total World Cup matches, writing a new history as the manager with the most wins in tournament history, but he is set to step down as head coach following this event.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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