Spain played a complete game against France and are through to the 2026 World Cup final. After Spain’s 2-0 victory over France, Rodri put the officiating under the microscope with a blunt message about how opponents have treated Lamine Yamal.
After a heated showdown in Dallas, Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton wasn’t exempt from criticism. First, Didier Deschamps questioned the officiating after France’s loss. Not long after, Rodri joined in, even though he was on the winning side. When both teams have complaints about the referee, though, it sometimes suggests he actually did a good job. In more ways than one, that’s true for Barton.
Still, Rodri believes the referee decisions involving Yamal aren’t exclusive to Barton’s performance and have been a recurring theme throughout the 2026 World Cup.
“We’ve been dealing with this type of situation for three games now. We’re talking about 10 or 15 uncalled fouls. And if we don’t call them, the defenses continue to do the same thing. The permissiveness is obvious,” Rodri stated after the game, via RMC Sport. “Especially today. But [Lamine Yamal] had a great game.”
Rodri #16 of Spain after win over France.
Barton’s controversial calls
The main criticism of Barton’s officiating in the semifinal between France and Spain isn’t linked to the calls he made on the pitch, but rather the ones he missed. There is no doubt that Digne’s dangerous challenge on Yamal warranted a penalty, but there were other incidents Barton failed to punish.
The most serious was a harsh challenge by Michael Olise on Rodri, with contact made to the midfielder’s ankle. Barton blew his whistle but showed no cards, and the VAR booth didn’t summon him to the monitor for an on-field review. Another controversial decision came on a play in which Unai Simon—whose numbers at the 2026 World Cup have virtually secured the Golden Glove award—took a while to collect the ball. Kylian Mbappe challenged for possession with a high boot that caught the goalkeeper.
Mbappe was shown only a yellow card for the offense, but he could have deserved a harsher punishment. Had he been sent off, Mbappe would have missed the third-place match at the 2026 World Cup and likely fallen out of the Golden Boot race, in which Lionel Messi is set for a direct battle with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham.
Yamal’s outing against France
Although he didn’t register a goal or an assist, Yamal was impossible to miss during Spain’s victory over France in the Lone Star State. The 19-year-old wonderkid was responsible for Spain’s first goal of the game, as he was fouled inside the penalty box by Lucas Digne. Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot, but it was the young phenom who put him in that position in the first place.
Yamal also scored after a brilliant move, but the goal was disallowed for a narrow offside. As a result, stat-sheet watchers may not appreciate his performance, but Yamal played a superb game against France.
Moreover, he has yet to play at his absolute best, which means he might be saving his best for last as Spain wait to learn who they will face in the 2026 World Cup final. Whoever prevails between Argentina and England may have to prepare for Yamal’s best performance of the tournament.
