France suffered a setback ahead of its World Cup quarterfinal against Morocco after FIFA rejected an appeal to overturn Michael Olise’s yellow card from the round of 16.
The Bayern Munich attacking midfielder was booked after a clash with Paraguay midfielder Matias Galarza in the round-of-16 match. Replays showed Olise had pulled Galarza’s jersey but then fell to the ground appearing to have been struck in the face. Following that incident, Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev booked Olise.
According to French sports daily L’Equipe, the French Football Federation had appealed to FIFA to have the decision reconsidered. FIFA did not accept the appeal.
France head coach Didier Deschamps confirmed the matter at a pre-match press conference, saying: “This morning (Wednesday) we received FIFA’s decision. The earlier decision on Olise has been upheld.”
Following FIFA’s decision, Olise will need to be extra cautious in the match against Morocco. If he picks up another yellow card in the quarterfinal, he will face a one-match ban. In that case, even if France advances to the semifinal, he would be unavailable for a potentially crucial match against Spain or Belgium.
For this reason, ahead of the clash with Morocco, keeping Olise away from unnecessary cards — not just securing a win — has become one of the biggest concerns for France’s coaching staff.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report