The ongoing 2026 World Cup has been hit by a wave of refereeing controversies, culminating in a heavily criticized performance during the round of 16 match between Paraguay and France, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Les Bleus. Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev, 42, received a devastating 1/10 rating from French sports newspaper L'Équipe for his management of the match, marking only the third time in ten years that the outlet has handed out such a low score.
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Subscribe Sekarang →Beyond this isolated incident, the tournament has faced mounting scrutiny regarding the overall consistency of refereeing. Tensions had already escalated following FIFA's unexpected decision not to issue a firm suspension to American forward Folarin Balogun, who was sent off for a dangerous, albeit unintentional, challenge against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the round of 32.
According to details shared earlier by Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, several new directives were introduced for this tournament. These include strict time-wasting countermeasures, such as giving substituted players only ten seconds to leave the pitch and enforcing a five-second countdown for throw-ins and goal kicks. Furthermore, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) scope was expanded to cover second yellow cards leading to expulsions and correcting wrongfully awarded corner kicks.
Another notable rule banned players from covering their mouths during arguments on the pitch. While Paraguay's Miguel Almiron was sent off for this against Turkey on June 20, England's Jude Bellingham escaped punishment for a similar gesture days later against Ghana. Based on observations from refereeing consultant Saïd Ennjimi, "I knew it would be almost impossible to be consistent in this matter." He noted that the boundary between a hostile dispute and a friendly conversation remains too ambiguous for referees to police fairly.
The selection process for officials has also drawn criticism. While knockout stages traditionally favor highly experienced European or South American referees, FIFA's expansion to a 48-team tournament has led to increased opportunities for referees from other confederations. Ennjimi observed that "the system has clearly reached its limits, with an expansion that is in glaring contradiction with the high stakes of the tournament."
Editorial monitoring indicates that Tantashev is unlikely to officiate any further matches in this tournament. While FIFA's refereeing commission defended its record by pointing to a positive group-stage report published on June 30, critics argue that enforcement remains uneven, leaving the 2026 World Cup feeling somewhat like a lawless Wild West.