Uzbek referee Ilgiz Tantashev has found himself at the center of a major scandal after officiating the 2026 World Cup round of 16 match between Paraguay and France.

Renowned French sports newspaper L'Equipe gave the Uzbek referee a rating of just one out of ten for his performance in the match.

Tantashev received such a low score for failing to control the rough play on the field. Despite extremely aggressive play and constant clashes from the South American team, the referee did not show a single yellow card to Paraguayan players.

This is the first time since 1998 that a referee has failed to issue a single yellow card to a team at a World Cup. Meanwhile, French players received three yellow cards from the Uzbek official during the match.

The match, which ended with a 1-0 victory for France, concluded with a major altercation. Goal scorer Kylian Mbappe demonstratively refused to shake hands with the opposing goalkeeper, after which the Paraguayan goalkeeper threw the ball at Mbappe's back.

Additionally, Mbappe provocatively celebrated his goal directly in front of defender Junior Alonso, with whom he had a conflict during the game. With this victory, France advanced to the quarterfinals, where they will face Morocco.

Source: podrobno.uz