French referee Francois Letexier is in the eye of the storm after Argentina’s 3-2 victory over Egypt in the Round of 16. With Egypt reportedly filing a FIFA complaint over the officiating and Egyptian head coach Hossam Hassan accusing Lionel Messi and Argentina of being favored, the stakes are at an all-time high.
However, France national team head coach Didier Deschamps came to his countryman’s rescue with a powerful statement, which also served as a warning to the referee for Les Bleus‘ upcoming quarterfinal against Morocco at the 2026 World Cup.
“I hope the referee will be as good as Mr. Letexier and his assistants like in the match of Argentina and Egypt. My opponent is Morocco, not the referee,” Deschamps had to say about the officiating buzz at the 2026 World Cup during a press conference, via RMC Sport.
Who will officiate France vs Morocco?
Argentine Facundo Tello will be the match official when France and Morocco go head to head for a spot in the semifinals of the 2026 World Cup. Tello will be joined by fellow Argentines Juan Pablo Bellati and Gabriel Chade on the touchlines, as well as Dario Herrera (fourth official) and Cristian Navarro (reserve assistant referee).
Didier Deschamps at the FIFA World Cup 2026.
With all five officials being Argentinians, it will be the first game at the 2026 World Cup to feature an on-field officiating crew from one country. Considering the recent rivalry between Argentina and France—dating back to the 2022 World Cup final—there is speculation surrounding the officiating decision.
In the VAR booth, Hernan Mastrangelo (from Argentina, as well) will be in charge, though joined by AVAR Leodan Gonzalez (Uruguay), SVAR Tatiana Guzman (Nicaragua), SBVAR Abdullah Alshehri (Saudi Arabia), and SBAVAR Mohammed Obaid Khadim (United Arab Emirates).
France take on Morocco
A deep dive into the designated crew helps explain why Deschamps said what he did about the refereeing. There were similar concerns about Letexier officiating Argentina’s game, but he handled it very well. If anything, Egypt were left with more to complain about than Argentina. Who knows? Maybe something similar happens when Les Bleus and the Atlas Lions collide at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
