France's head coach Didier Deschamps expressed his dissatisfaction with the officiating after France suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain in the World Cup semi-finals on Tuesday.
While he conceded that his squad was technically outmatched and outperformed, Deschamps criticized referee Iván Barton, questioning reporters, “Is the referee equipped to officiate a World Cup semi-final?”.
His grievances were sparked by several pivotal officiating choices made during the clash in Arlington, Texas.
Deschamps was especially perturbed by an early penalty given to Spain in the first half, which resulted from left-back Lucas Digne's contact with Lamine Yamal.
Additionally, he was displeased with multiple other calls, including a reckless challenge by Yamal that did not warrant a yellow card.
He suggested that there were “quite a few situations” and unfavorable rulings that influenced the outcome, although he refrained from going into detail to avoid coming off as a sore loser.
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“I’ll pose a provocative question and I won’t provide an answer,” Deschamps remarked. “Is the referee at the level required to officiate a World Cup semi-final?”
“And I’m not stating this solely because of our loss today. There were several situations. There were also some favorable calls,”
Despite his criticisms of the officiating, Deschamps candidly recognized that Spain managed the game effectively and that France was “a level below on the technical front”.
“The players are heartbroken because we had high aspirations, even though we must be realistic and admit that today we were a level below technically against a team that controlled the match well.
“But ultimately, it’s on us; I don’t want to place blame on anyone.”
