France manager Didier Deschamps saw his 14-year reign in charge of the national team come to an end with defeat to Spain in the 2026 World Cup semifinals. Les Bleus underperformed, the Spanish were excellent, but Deschamps still had a nagging itch about the officiating.
Refereeing has been a constant topic of conversation throughout this World Cup, from U.S. border officials denying entry to Somalia’s Omar Artan before a ball had even been kicked, to Egypt lodging a formal complaint with FIFA about the refereeing in its dramatic loss to Argentina.
