In a series of shocking events, FIFA has appointed an all-Argentine officiating crew for the first quarter-final between France and Morocco. Veteran referee Facundo Tello will oversee the high-stakes encounter, which is set to be played on July 10 (As per IST) in Boston, as the world governing body went with the experienced Argentine official for a crucial knockout game.
Notably, this will not be the first instance when Tello will officiate the Morocco World Cup game, as he had officiated their famous win against Portugal in Qatar 2022. For the upcoming clash against France, Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade will work as his assistants, while Dario Herrera will take charge as the fourth official. Meanwhile, Cristian Navarro has been kept as the reserve assistant referee for the high-profile quarter-final clash.
France unbothered by Argentine referee
In an interaction with, France's star defender Dayot Upamecano revealed that the French side is not thinking about who will be refereeing their game, as they will focus more on how to deal with Morocco in the high-stakes clash.
"I’m not going to focus on who the referee will be. We’ve never done that before. We’re going to focus on Morocco. What we want is to win this match. That’s the most important thing," said Upamecano.
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Timing of decision raises concerns
Interestingly, this move comes against the recent backdrop of Egypt complaining over the bad refereeing decisions in their Round of 16 loss to Argentina. Now, the Egypt FA has taken the matter to FIFA, asking for a detailed investigation into the calls made by the referees they believe directly impacted their World Cup exit.
Argentina delivered a stunning turnaround after two goals behind, scoring three quick goals to eliminate Egypt and book their place in the quarterfinals. Lionel Scaloni's team will prepare themselves to lock horns against Switzerland as they continue their title defense.
When will France vs Morocco be played?
The quarterfinal game between France vs Morocco will be played on Friday, July 10 at the Boston Stadium in Foxborough. It will be a blockbuster clash, as both teams are entering the game with spectacular campaigns throughout the tournament.