Deschamps on Argentine referee Tello: "I will not consider him an opponent"

The coach of the French national team, Didier Deschamps, spoke out about the appointment of Argentine referee Facundo Tello for the crucial quarter-final match of the 2026 World Cup. The clash between France and Morocco will take place in Boston and will determine one of the spots among the four best teams in the tournament.

The presence of the Bahian referee at the helm of the match generated comments in the French camp, but the coach made his stance clear. Deschamps stated that he does not see the referee as a problem and that his focus is solely on the African opponent.

"You can ask whatever questions you want. I start from the premise that the appointments have already been made and we cannot do anything about it. So my job is to trust the referees," the French coach indicated at the press conference.

Confidence in the officiating team

Deschamps referred to a recent precedent where another French referee, Francois Letexier, officiated a match involving Argentina. The French coach expressed his hope that Tello and his assistants perform at the level seen in that match.

"I hope that Mr. Tello and his assistants, who will officiate tomorrow, are at the same level as Mr. Letexier and his officiating team, who officiated another match," he concluded.

The coach acknowledged that refereeing decisions can always spark debate, but emphasized that it all depends on one's perspective. He insisted that the real opponent is Morocco, not the referee.

"Clearly, there are always decisions that can lead to debate. It all depends on which side one is on. But I believe that our opponent is Morocco. I will not consider the referee as an adversary; on the contrary, he is there to apply the rules of the game as fairly as possible," Deschamps concluded.