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Today, Sunday, the international sports press started a large-scale criticism campaign against the Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev, because of the controversial decisions of the France-Paraguay match of the 16th round of the 2026 World Cup yesterday, which ended with the victory of the Roosters (1-0).
On the other hand, the Paraguayan media defended the referee’s performance, believing that he managed the match well, according to the network. “RMC” French.
Former Ireland star and “Manchester United” legend Roy Keane said. “An investigation must be carried out today to find out whether the referee and the VAR referees were paid before the game.”
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Most international sports newspapers agreed that the standard of refereeing was far from what was required, especially given the high number of violent interventions the match witnessed.
The match saw 29 interventions by Paraguayan players, while the referee called them only 13 fouls without showing a single card, an incident described as unprecedented for the Paraguayan national team in 28 years at the World Cup.
Joe Hart, via the BBC, described the execution as “shocking and disgraceful”, while two newspapers considered… Brand: and:Sports The Spanish publication said the referee handled the game with “extreme leniency” despite repeated pushing, arguing and heavy hitting by the Paraguayan players.
“Dirty Match”
Roy Keane continued his criticism throughout Sky Sportsdescribing the arbitration as a “disaster” and an “absolute joke”, while German journalist Jan Henkel said: Magenta TV“It was a dirty match and the referee had no control over it.”
As for reporter Colin Millar, at the paper The AthleticHe confirmed through his account on the “X” platform that he was relieved that France left the game without injuries.
“I’ve watched a lot of amateur and semi-professional matches, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a refereeing performance like this. He had no desire to referee, enforce the rules or protect the safety of the players. He has been officiating FIFA matches for 13 years, and France has been lucky without serious injuries.”
A newspaper was awarded in France L’Equipe The referee rated it 1 out of 10, with his “absolute incompetence” culminating in a “festival of unpunished aggression”, noting that the referee only awarded the penalty to Desiree Duy after video technology intervention, despite ignoring a similar incident against the French winger in the past.
And through the radio RCC:Pascal Dupraz attacked the “deceptive style of the Paraguayan players” along with the “scandalous weakness of the refereeing”.
The Paraguayan press supports the decision
Contrary to international criticism, the Paraguayan press did not believe that the referee made any significant mistakes during the match.
The newspaper praised it ABC color praised his performance, describing it as “accurate, calm and consistent with the flow of the game, without any negative influence”.
He added: “The referee was able to allow play to continue and managed the game in a balanced and uneventful manner.”
