Fifa rejects France’s appeal of Olise’s yellow card ahead of World Cup clash with Morocco

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The Independent

8 July 2026

France’s hopes of overturning a controversial yellow card for star midfielder

Michael Olise

have been dashed, with

FIFA

upholding the decision, coach Didier Deschamps confirmed on Wednesday. The ruling means Olise now faces a potential suspension for a

World Cup

semi-final should he receive another booking during France’s quarter-final clash with

Morocco

on Thursday.

"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 stated. The French federation had appealed the infraction, issued to Olise in the 97th minute of their 1-0 victory over

Paraguay

following an altercation with Matías Galarza. While Galarza went to ground, video replays appeared to show Olise merely grasping the Paraguayan’s jersey before he toppled.

open image in gallery

have been dashed (Getty Images)

The decision stands in stark contrast to a recent case involving US striker Folarin Balogun.

lifted Balogun’s suspension for a red card after Donald Trump made a phone call to

head Gianni Infantino, arguing for the player’s reinstatement. Balogun subsequently played in the US team’s 4-1 loss to Belgium, which saw them eliminated from the tournament.

The status of Olise’s appeal was among the first questions posed to Deschamps as

France

prepares for their fourth consecutive

quarter-final appearance. A victory would keep them on track to become only the third nation to reach the semi-finals in three successive tournaments, a feat previously achieved by Germany and Brazil.

However, Deschamps’ news conference was largely dominated by a multitude of off-field issues, including recent racist remarks aimed at France’s talisman

Kylian Mbappé

, concerns over officiating, and questions about his own future. The upcoming match against

, a repeat of the Qatar 2022

semi-final, is so significant that law enforcement in

is mobilising thousands of officers to prepare for potential unrest.

Mbappé himself condemned comments made by a

Paraguayan senator

following her country's loss to

. Deschamps described his star player’s mood as focused despite the incident. "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 affirmed.

Mbappé himself condemned comments made by a Paraguayan senator following her country's loss to

(Getty Images)

Concerns about officiating arose after three French players received yellow cards in the previous round, compared to none for Paraguay in an ill-tempered game. Yet, Deschamps expressed minimal concern. "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

, not the referee. The referee is there to apply fairly the laws of the game."

The 57-year-old Deschamps, who captained

to their 1998

triumph and has coached the national side for 14 years, including their 2018

victory, was also asked about his impending departure after the tournament. "Thank you for your concerns. But I do not think about it," he responded. "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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