William Saliba, the French national team defender, criticized the referee's performance in his team's match against Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, considering that leniency in dealing with some interventions gave Paraguayan players the opportunity to commit repeated fouls and play roughly.
According to statements reported by the French newspaper L'Équipe, Saliba believed that the Paraguayan team escaped deserved penalties due to its violent style of play.
The Arsenal defender said after France's 1-0 victory and qualification to the quarter-finals: "It was not an easy match, and we knew well the type of team we would face."
He added: "The coach warned us before the match that the opponent would try to provoke us and play hard to take us out of the game atmosphere, and that indeed happened, but we maintained our focus, and even when we felt angry, we did not receive a red card, which is positive for us."
Regarding the refereeing, Saliba explained: "The opponent should have received some yellow cards, I don't want to go into details, but there were moments when interventions deserved punishment, and this is what allowed them to continue playing the same way until the end."
The French national team will face Morocco in the quarter-finals next Thursday.
