France coach Didier Deschamps played down the significance of referee appointments as Les Bleus prepare for Thursday\u2019s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco at Gillette Stadium, insisting he is simply focused on his team rather than the officials.<\/p>\n
Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, Deschamps refused to make Facundo Tello\u2019s selection an issue. \u201cThere is nothing I can do about refereeing appointments. I just try to have confidence in the officials,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Tello\u2019s role has drawn extra attention because of the wider backdrop of tension between France and Argentina following their meeting in the 2022 World Cup final, which Argentina won on penalties. The scrutiny is also fueled by the fact that French referee Francois Letexier handled Argentina\u2019s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the last 16 on Tuesday. That game has since sparked a complaint from the Egyptian Football Association over decisions it considered controversial.<\/p>\n
Asked about the possibility of a different standard, Deschamps responded with confidence in the entire officiating team. \u201cI hope that Mr Tello and his assistants will be just as good as Mr Letexier and his assistants,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are always decisions that can lead to debate depending on which side you are on, but our opponents are Morocco. I can\u2019t consider the referee to be an opponent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deschamps also confirmed a separate disciplinary update from FIFA, stating that France\u2019s appeal was turned down regarding a yellow card shown to Michael Olise during the last-16 win over Paraguay. The Bayern Munich winger therefore remains one booking away from being suspended ahead of a potential semi-final.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe yellow card has not changed. We were notified by FIFA this morning, it has been maintained,\u201d Deschamps said.<\/p>\n
Olise received the caution late in a physical, at times heated, encounter in Philadelphia after an altercation with Paraguay\u2019s Matias Galarza. Television replays suggested there was limited contact between the two players. Olise gestured for Galarza to calm down before the Paraguayan fell, later claiming he had been struck in the face.<\/p>\n
Alongside Olise, Bradley Barcola and Manu Kone are also carrying yellow cards and could face a ban if they pick up another booking against Morocco.<\/p>\n
In team news, Deschamps said Aurelien Tchouameni\u2014who missed the Paraguay match with a thigh problem\u2014has been improving. \u201cAurelien is doing better. I can\u2019t say more than that. He will maybe take part in training today but I will need to see. The others are all available,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Thursday\u2019s quarter-final will be a repeat of France\u2019s 2022 semi-final, a match they won 2-0, and it will also be the final game of Deschamps\u2019 14-year spell in charge if Les Bleus fail to go through. Having led France to World Cup success in 2018, Deschamps is expected to step away after the tournament ends.<\/p>\n
Still, he insisted he is not looking ahead. \u201cI am not thinking about that at all,\u201d Deschamps said. \u201cIn my head, with my staff, the objective is just to do everything we can so that things go well. I am focused on this Morocco team and on things going well for us.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
France coach Didier Deschamps played down the significance of referee appointments as Les Bleus prepare for Thursday\u2019s World Cup quarter-final against Morocco at Gillette Stadium, insisting he is simply focused on his team rather than the officials. Speaking to reporters on the eve of the match, Deschamps refused to make Facundo Tello\u2019s selection an issue. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2908,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"France vs Morocco: Deschamps Focuses on Team, Not Referees","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Didier Deschamps dismisses referee chatter as France gear up for the World Cup quarter-final vs Morocco, saying his focus stays fi","mma_seo_breadcrumb_text":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_url":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_hide_ui":"","mma_seo_breadcrumb_labels":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n