Outraged World Cup fans demand referee is immediately suspended after France’s match against Paraguay

Calls are mounting for FIFA to review the performance of referee Ilgiz Tantashev after he failed to issue a yellow card to any Paraguay player during their ill-tempered 1-0 defeat to France national football team in the Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

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The Uzbek official came under intense criticism from football fans and pundits after Paraguay committed 12 fouls without receiving a booking, despite a series of robust challenges and several heated confrontations throughout the match. France, by contrast, finished the game with three players cautioned. The encounter ended in chaotic scenes as players from both teams clashed after the final whistle following Paraguay’s elimination.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart and former Germany midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger, both working as BBC Sport pundits, were highly critical of Paraguay’s approach, describing the South American side’s conduct as a “disgrace.” Fans also took to social media to condemn Tantashev’s display, with many accusing the referee of failing to control the match and protect players.

“Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev with an extraordinary performance. No interest in refereeing, no interest in applying the laws of the game, no interest in player welfare or well-being. France very fortunate to avoid serious injuries,” one supporter wrote.

Another fan posted: “That was one of the worst referee performances I have ever seen at any level.” A third added: “Not 1 yellow card for Paraguay. Shocking performance from the ref.”

Several supporters also called on FIFA to suspend the official. “Ilgiz Tantashev needs a red card and suspended for the rest of the World Cup. How can he seriously not think Paraguay deserved a booking?” one fan wrote. France secured victory through a 70th-minute penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé, setting up a quarter-final meeting with Morocco national football team.

The match was marked by repeated confrontations involving Mbappé, who was heavily challenged throughout the contest and declined to shake hands with Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando Gill after the final whistle. Gill subsequently threw the ball in the striker’s direction in a moment of frustration.

Hart defended Mbappé’s reaction and criticised both Paraguay’s tactics and the referee’s handling of the game. “I absolutely love how he’s behaved in this game, because they have come for him from minute one,” Hart said.

“The Paraguayan players were an absolute disgrace tonight. If they were on my team I’d be dragging half of them off the pitch. I would never want to win that way, I would never want to play football that way and the referee didn’t help in any of the circumstances. The fact that not one Paraguayan was booked inside the 90 minutes today is absolutely astonishing.”

Former France forward Thierry Henry also praised the composure shown by Didier Deschamps’ side despite the physical nature of the contest.

“Football won,” Henry said. “I don’t want to talk about Paraguay. I want to talk about what France did. How they stayed composed. How Kylian Mbappe was laughing at the end. How a lot of the players didn’t react to the provocation. It’s not always going to be easy. But well done, they stayed calm, it was very difficult, but like I said, football won.”