Foxborough, July 9 (IANS) France head coach Didier Deschamps is unfazed by the appointment of all Argentine officials for their FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinal against Morocco, saying their “opponent is Morocco, not the referee.”

FIFA has sparked a massive debate ahead of the World Cup quarter-finals by appointing an entirely Argentine officiating crew for France’s clash against Morocco, marking the first time in the 2026 tournament that a match will be handled exclusively by officials from a single nation.

The decision has raised eyebrows across the footballing world given the intense recent history and bubbling rivalry between Les Bleus and the Albiceleste. But the French boss has played down any concerns regarding these appointments.

“We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee,” Deschamps said in the pre-match press conference. “Let’s hope our (officials) are as good as Monsieur Letexier was.

FIFA confirmed that 44-year-old official Facundo Tello, Juan Pablo Belatti, Gabriel Chade and Dario Herrera were named to officiate the quarterfinal.

Meanwhile, Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi also downplayed the impact of the officials.

“Regarding the referees… we’re talking about a very experienced referee,” he said at his prematch news conference. “That’s what we want. We want experienced referees for these types of matches. So we’re very calm.”

“We had a Dutch referee before facing the Netherlands, and he did very well. So that’s not something we really talk about because we know that they’re just trying to do their best. The referee we’ll have against France is not so quick to give bookings, and that can play an impact, but I would not say anything against the quality of the referees,” he added.

Having reached the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive time (2014, 2018, 2022, and 2026), a remarkable achievement already, France are aiming for a third straight semifinal appearance, a feat previously accomplished only by Germany (four times in a row between 2002 and 2014 and three times between 1982 and 1990) and Brazil (three times between 1994 and 2002).

But first, they will face Morocco in a rematch of the 2022 semi-final when Morocco became the first African nation to reach the World Cup semi-finals, but their journey ended there, as France won 2-0.

–IANS

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