FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — France coach Didier Deschamps says that its appeal of star Michael Olise’s controversial World Cup yellow card during its Round of 16 win over Paraguay was denied by FIFA on Wednesday.
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“There was no change when it comes to Olise’s yellow card. We received FIFA’s decision this morning that the yellow card was maintained,” Deschamps said.
It means that if Olise were to receive another yellow card during France’s quarterfinal matchup with Morocco on Thursday, it would result in a suspension for a potential semifinal game.
The country’s federation appealed the infraction that was issued to Olise in the 97th minute of its 1-0 win over Paraguay following his altercation with Matías Galarza.
Galarza went to the ground during a skirmish between the two players, though video replays only seemed to reveal Olise grasping the Paraguayan’s jersey before he toppled to the grass.
The appeal came after U.S. President Donald Trump made a phone call last week to FIFA head Gianni Infantino to make the case that U.S. striker Folarin Balogun should not have been suspended for Monday’s matchup with Belgium because of a red card in a game last week. FIFA lifted the suspension and cleared Balogun to play.
The decision ultimately didn’t help the U.S. team, which was eliminated from the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium with Balogun in the lineup.
Olise’s appeal status was one of the first questions Deschamps was asked Wednesday as his team prepares for its fourth straight World Cup quarterfinals appearance. With a victory, France would remain on track to advance to become only the third nation to reach the semifinals in three successive tournaments, joining Germany (four from 2002 to 2014 and three from 1982 to 1990) and Brazil (three from 1994 to 2002).
Yet, Deschamps spent most of Wednesday’s news conference fielding questions about a multitude of off-field issues, including recent racist remarks aimed at France star Kylian Mbappé, officiating concerns, and his own future.
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It has cast a cloud over what will be such a massive matchup with Morocco, who France beat in the Qatar 2022 World Cup semifinals, that law enforcement back home are preparing for potential unrest by mobilizing thousands of officers in advance.
On Monday Mbabbpé condemned the comments made by a Paraguayan senator following her country’s loss to France. Deschamps described his star player’s mood after the incident as focused.
“Kylian is OK. Whatever happens, I don’t want to look back and think about it again. He’s a very strong guy mentally, physically. He’s just focused on tomorrow’s game,” he said.
Officiating questions arose after three French players received three yellow cards in the previous round, compared to none for Paraguay in an ill-tempered game.
But Deschamps said his concern is minimal.
“It is out of our control,” he said. “I trust the refereeing. … Some refereeing decisions may lead to discussions. It really depends on everyone’s opinion. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee. The referee is there to apply fairly the laws of the game.”
The 57-year-old Deschamps was also asked to ponder his own future as he is stepping down from the national side after the tournament. A former player, who was the captain of France’s 1998 World Cup winner, he has been its coach for the past 14 years. That includes leading France to the 2018 World Cup title.
“Thank you for your concerns. But I do not think about it,” he said. “The last game could have been the last one. In my head, with the technical staff, we want to win tomorrow. That’s the objective. In a football game there are many possibilities when it comes to tomorrow’s result. … I’m focused on the Moroccan team so we can win that game.”
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