FIFA Defends Referees Following Criticism from Didier Deschamps

FIFA has responded to accusations from France's manager, Didier Deschamps, regarding the quality of officiating during the semi-final clash against Spain, which Les Bleus lost 0-2, reports AFP.

FIFA firmly stated that the tournament's referees are "world-class".

"In response to Didier Deschamps' comment questioning whether the match referee was up to the standard of a semi-final, FIFA's answer is clear: yes, our referees are world-class," Pierluigi Collina, chairman of the FIFA Referees Committee, told the agency.

Following Tuesday's defeat, Deschamps expressed doubts about the performance of Salvadoran referee Iván Barton.

Although he did not dispute the penalty awarded against his team, the French coach had reservations about other aspects of the referee's performance.

Officiating at the World Cup has faced criticism on other occasions as well. The Egyptian Football Association demanded the removal of French referee François Letexier following their 2-3 loss to Argentina in the round of 16.

The Disciplinary Committee also drew criticism for its decision to overturn the suspension of American forward Folarin Balogun for the match against Belgium, a move that followed an intervention by US President Donald Trump.