“Why did FIFA change its custom?”… Great French anger after appointing a referee for the Morocco match.

The appointment of an all-Argentine refereeing team to officiate the 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash between France and Morocco has sparked controversy in French media amid questions over the decision by the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).

FIFA announced that the match had been awarded to Argentine referee Facundo Tio, with the full support of the Argentine staff, including two assistant referees, a fourth official and a video assistant referee (VAR), which French media described as unusual compared to what happened in most matches at the tournament.

According to the newspaper, “come onSpanish network RMC Sport expressed its surprise at the decision and opened its report with harsh criticism, saying FIFA had opened the door to many questions by appointing a single nationality refereeing team to officiate such an important match.

French media reported that in most tournament matches the International Federation appointed an arena referee from one country while selecting a fourth official or video referee from another nationality, which did not happen in this clash.

The decision deepened the controversy over strained sporting relations between France and Argentina following the 2022 World Cup finals, which ended with Argentina winning their third title after one of the most exciting games in the tournament’s history.

The report states that French fans are not happy with the presence of an Argentinian referee to manage their team’s match, especially since the two teams are considered to be among the most popular contenders for the title.

The French network recalled that Argentina itself had objected before facing Egypt in the round of 16 after FIFA assigned French referee Francois Lettx to take charge of the match, in what some saw as a controversial decision at the time, ahead of the appointment of an Argentinian referee for the France-Morocco game, which raises the criteria for referee selection.

The match is expected to be Facundo Tio’s first officiating for France at international level in a Test that will be widely watched in light of the sensitivity of the fixture and the controversy that preceded its kick-off.