The Paraguay-France referee found himself in the middle of a media storm. After France's 1-0 last-16 win over Paraguay, Ilgiz Tantashev was heavily criticised for having booked three French players while the Paraguay side, which played a very rough football, finished the match without a single card.
At first glance, the statistics seem to defend the referee. Paraguay committed 13 fouls and France 11. The French received three yellow cards, for Bradley Barcola, Manu Koné and Michael Olise. For Olise, the replays showed there was no foul.
On the other side Matías Galarza swung an arm at Mbappé and later at Jules Koundé, with neither incident even given as a foul. Dayot Upamecano took an elbow and Gustavo Velázquez kicked out at Mbappé off the ball. Yet Paraguay got zero yellow cards.
Even the game's defining decision needed rescuing. When Diego Gómez caught Doué in the box, Tantashev waved play on. But after a VAR revew he awarded a penalty. Mbappé scored and France won.
Didier Deschamps chose his words with care, saying he would not criticise the referee. But he noted that France collected three yellow cards despite a lot of his players being faulted.
Others were far less diplomatic. L'Équipe handed Tantashev a rare 1 rating, writing: "He got almost everything wrong." On the BBC broadcast, former England goalkeeper Joe Hart branded Paraguay "an absolute disgrace" and found the card count "absolutely astonishing."
From the Paraguay side, Gustavo Alfaro said things weren't so clear: "There were some disputes, particularly regarding VAR. Some were calling for a penalty, others weren't."
FIFA has issued no statement on Tantashev's performance, and the referee has not spoken publicly.
A petition demanding he be barred from officiating has been circulating online, but it will probably remain without any consequences. No formal complaint has been reported from the French football federation.
If a sanction is awarded, it will be quieter. FIFA's refereeing committee reviews every knockout-stage performance when assigning the remaining fixtures, and Tantashev may be overlooked for another appointment at this tournament.
France face Morocco on Thursday, in the quarter-finals.
