France head coach Didier Deschamps sharply criticized the head referee's decisions after his team's crushing semifinal loss to Spain at the 2026 World Cup.
France, led by Deschamps, lost 0-2 to Spain in the tournament semifinal held at Dallas Stadium in Texas on the 15th (Korea time), ending their bid for a third overall title. France had continued an all-win run with 16 goals across the previous six matches, but in the semifinal they were blocked by Spain's organized defense and failed to score a single goal.
Immediately after the match, Deschamps told reporters that "the players were greatly shocked," and said, "We have to acknowledge that Spain, which controlled the match well, was a notch below us technically." He added, "Our own mistakes came first, and I don't want to blame anyone," but nonetheless expressed strong dissatisfaction with the decisions of head referee Ivan Barton of El Salvador.
The controversy came in the 20th minute of the first half. Referee Barton ruled a collision between Lucas Digne and Lamine Yamal a penalty-kick foul. Despite France's protests, the decision was not overturned, and Mikel Oyarzabal, who stepped up as the kicker, precisely struck the upper right corner of the goal to score the opening goal.
"I will ask one sharp question without expecting an answer. Is this referee really at the level to officiate a World Cup semifinal?" Deschamps said. "I'm not saying this because we lost today. There were several situations (regarding the decisions)."
Deschamps, who took the helm of the French national team in July 2012, led France in four consecutive World Cups from the 2014 Brazil tournament through this one. He recorded 21 wins, three draws and three losses in 27 World Cup matches, setting a milestone as the winningest coach in World Cup history. However, he is set to step down as national team manager after this tournament.
