France head coach Didier Deschamps questioned the standard of officiating after his side's 2-0 defeat to Spain in the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-final, with the outgoing Les Bleus manager casting doubt on whether the referee was equipped to handle a match of such magnitude.
Spain advanced to their first World Cup final since 2010 after Mikel Oyarzabal converted a first-half penalty won by Lamine Yamal before Pedro Porro sealed the victory with a second-half strike. The result ended France's hopes of reaching a third consecutive FIFA World Cup final and consigned Deschamps to defeat in his final World Cup campaign as national team coach.
The French manager's biggest grievance centred on the penalty awarded in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne was penalised for catching Yamal with a high boot inside the area.
"If I say something, I'll look like a sore loser because we lost. But I ask you the question of whether the referee has the level required to officiate a semi-final. There is the penalty, but it's not just that—that's just on top of it all. I have nothing against tonight's referee, but ask yourselves that question," Deschamps said after the match.
He reiterated the point in his post-match press conference, adding:
"I'll ask a loaded question and I won't answer it. Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final? And I'm not saying this just because we lost today. There were quite a few situations. There were some favourable calls, too."
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Despite his criticism of the officiating, Deschamps accepted that Spain had been the better side on the night.
"The players are devastated because we had a lot of ambition, even though we also have to be realistic and acknowledge that today we were a notch below on the technical level against a team that controlled the game well. But first of all, it's our fault, I don't want to blame anyone."
The defeat marked the beginning of the end of one of international football's most successful managerial reigns. Appointed in 2012, Deschamps became France's longest-serving coach, leading Les Bleus to the 2018 FIFA World Cup title, the 2021 UEFA Nations League crown, the UEFA Euro 2016 final, the 2022 World Cup final and the 2026 World Cup semi-finals.
The former France captain also belongs to an elite group of just three men to have won the World Cup as both a player and a manager, alongside Brazil's Mario Zagallo and Germany's Franz Beckenbauer. The upcoming third-place play-off is expected to be his final competitive match in charge before he steps down.
Spain coach Luis de la Fuente, meanwhile, steered clear of the refereeing debate and instead praised his players after guiding La Roja back to the World Cup final after a 16-year wait.
"Tonight we faced one of the best national teams in the world. However, they faced the best team in the world," he said.
De la Fuente added that Spain's success was the product of years of commitment to a clear footballing identity.
"We started almost four years ago with an idea and we've been faithful to that idea and it's brought us here. These players deserve everything. Day after day they've shown their commitment, their solidarity, their generosity, their talent. They make the difficult look easy."
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