Michael Olise Faces Potential Ban as France Considers Appeal Against "Worst Refereeing Performance" at World Cup

The refereeing performance of Ilgiz Tantashev in the World Cup Round of 16 match between France and Paraguay could still have repercussions. According to RMC Sport, the French Football Federation is seriously considering filing a complaint against the yellow card issued to Michael Olise.

The incident occurred in injury time when Olise clashed with Matias Galarza of Paraguay, who acted unsportingly and then dramatically fell, provoking what has been described as a completely incomprehensible warning for the French player.

This was far from the only mistake made by Tantashev, whose officiating has been widely criticized. Former Bundesliga referees Patrick Ittrich and Frank Willenborg did not hold back in their assessment of the Uzbek referee's performance. Ittrich described it as "the worst performance of the World Cup" on MagentaTV.

Willenborg specifically called two of the referee's decisions "inexplicable": a slap from Galarza against Kylian Mbappe during a run away from the ball, which Willenborg believed should have resulted in a red card, and a kick from Juan Jose Caceres to Mbappe's shin, which could also have been deemed a violent conduct offense.

The fact that not a single South American player received a yellow card, while three French players were cautioned, further casts Tantashev's refereeing in a negative light. The French Federation now intends to contest at least one of these bookings.

If Olise receives another yellow card in the quarter-final against Morocco, he would be suspended for a potential World Cup semi-final against Spain, Portugal, the USA, or Belgium.

Michael Olise Enters World Cup Quarter-Final Without Prior Caution: Cristiano Ronaldo and Folarin Balogun as Questionable Examples

The possibility of such an appeal being successful with FIFA is demonstrated by two controversial recent examples. For instance, Cristiano Ronaldo's three-match ban for an elbow in a World Cup qualifier against Ireland was shortened by two games, ensuring the Portuguese superstar would not miss the opening duels of his final World Cup. Similarly, the USA successfully appealed Folarin Balogun's red card in their Round of 16 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina. The American star, who had scored three goals in the tournament, was initially set to miss at least the quarter-final against Belgium. However, a surprising turn of events occurred on Sunday.

FIFA overturned Balogun's suspension, placing it on probation. This was met with approval from then-US President Donald Trump, who stated on his platform Truth Social, "Thank you to FIFA for doing the right thing and reversing a great injustice! They were treated badly." US Secretary of State Rubio had also argued for an appeal process in the White House press room.

According to FIFA regulations, a red card automatically results in a suspension of at least one match. Following the game against Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was stated that an appeal was not possible. Balogun had unintentionally but dangerously stepped on the ankle of opponent Muharemovic during a collision. VAR intervened, and Balogun received an unfortunate but justifiable red card, a decision US national coach Mauricio Pochettino strongly disagreed with.

"It was not his intention to kick the player at any point. It was a completely normal action in football." FIFA appears to have now taken a similar view. Under Article 27 of the world governing body's disciplinary code, a punishment can be suspended.