ไทย
English
中國人
France head coach Didier Deschamps has announced that FIFA has turned down the team's appeal to overturn a yellow card issued to Michael Olise ahead of Thursday's World Cup quarterfinal clash against Norway.
Olise received the caution during France's 1–0 win over Paraguay in the round of 16 after an incident involving Matías Galarza. The Atlanta United midfielder hit the ground clutching his face, but video replays revealed Olise had done little more than tug his shirt.
While the booking itself may seem minor, the concern for France is that Olise would face a semifinal suspension if he receives another yellow card in Thursday's match. The French Football Federation (FFF) lodged an appeal with FIFA to have the caution expunged, arguing it was unjustly given, and pointed to the contentious decision to overturn a ban imposed on USMNT forward Folarin Balogun.
However, FIFA has rejected France's appeal, confirming that the yellow card issued to Olise will stand.
"There was no change with Olise's yellow card," Deschamps stated on Wednesday. "We received from FIFA a decision this morning that Olise's yellow card remains."
Olise Left Sweating Over Potential Semifinal Ban
FIFA's ruling to uphold Olise's booking is a frustrating setback for the FFF, which believed it had a legitimate case and accused Galarza of deceiving the referee to get the Bayern Munich winger unfairly cautioned.
In reality, though, the appeal would likely never have been filed had it not been for the controversy surrounding Balogun, which opened the floodgates for challenges against decisions that had previously appeared final.
FIFA established a precedent by clearing Balogun to play—a ruling made following intervention from the White House and President Donald Trump—but has chosen not to extend the same treatment to Olise.
Olise's situation is straightforward. He is eligible to face Morocco on Thursday and, provided he avoids a caution in the quarterfinal, he will progress to the semifinals, where all yellow cards are wiped clean ahead of the final four.
The debate will resurface if he does receive a booking against Morocco and subsequently serves a suspension for the semifinal, which will be against the winner of Friday's encounter between Spain and Belgium. A further appeal remains entirely possible, even if FIFA appears to have already made its position clear.
Enable functional cookies to see this feature.
FIFA has found itself under scrutiny following its contentious decision to reverse Balogun's red card. Having initially confirmed there was no appeals process and formalized a ban for the USMNT striker, soccer's governing body ultimately reversed course after an informal appeal from President Trump, a known ally of FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
Believing FIFA had demonstrated an openness to appeals, France took its chances by challenging Olise's caution, only to be met with the same response given to everyone except Balogun.