France has lodged an appeal with FIFA to overturn a yellow card shown to forward Michael Olise after an incident involving Paraguay midfielder Matias Galarza during the round of 16 on Saturday.
Key takeaways
- France is asking FIFA to cancel Olise’s booking stemming from his clash with Matias Galarza in the round of 16.
- Olise was cautioned after a physical confrontation in which Galarza fell while holding his face.
- Video replays presented in the dispute indicate Olise grabbed Galarza’s shirt but did not strike him in the head area.
- France will play Morocco in a quarterfinal on Thursday at Foxborough, Massachusetts.
- If Olise receives a further yellow in that quarterfinal, he would be ruled out for the semifinal next week if France reach the last four.
- The United States recently succeeded in overturning a red card for Folarin Balogun, enabling him to feature against Belgium in the next knockout game.
Olise appeal and the quarterfinal impact
Olise’s yellow card came after a heated exchange with Galarza that ended with the Paraguay midfielder going to the ground clutching his face. Replays showed Olise holding Galarza’s jersey, but there was no visible contact with the head.
France now turns to FIFA to reverse the decision. The next test for Didier Deschamps’ side is a quarterfinal against Morocco scheduled for Thursday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Should Olise be booked again during that match, he would not be available for the semifinals next week, provided France progress.
US red-card overturn not linked to France’s appeal
Separately, the United States secured a successful appeal concerning a red card that had been issued to forward Folarin Balogun during the round of 32 against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Wednesday. FIFA’s reversal means Balogun will be eligible to play in Monday’s round of 16 fixture versus Belgium.
France’s choice to challenge Olise’s yellow card was not influenced by the American case involving Balogun, the report added, indicating the two appeals are independent of each other.
