France players insist they are not concerned over the prospect of an all-Argentine refereeing team overseeing their World Cup quarter-final showdown with Morocco.
Les Bleus are bidding to reach their third World Cup final in a row having lifted the famous trophy in 2018 before falling short against Argentina four years ago in Qatar after a final for the ages was decided by penalties.
There could be a repeat of it this summer with the two nations on separate sides of the draw. There is a long way to go still, however, with Didier Deschamps’s side needing to beat Morocco with Spain or Belgium waiting in the semi-finals.
Despite the intense international rivalry that has developed between the two nations, FIFA have made the decision to appoint Argentine’s referee Facundo Tello to oversee Thursday’s game against Morocco.
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Tello will be joined assistant referees Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, fourth official Dario Herrera and reserve assistant referee Christian Navarro, also all hailing from Argentina.
France’s patience with match officials has already been tested with referee Ilgiz Tantashev widely criticised for being too weak in the brutal last 16 match against Paraguay.
While it must be noted Argentina’s controversial victory over Egypt on Wednesday was overseen by French referee Francois Letexier and his French assistants Cyril Mugnier and Mehdi Rahmouni, the all-Argentine line-up has caused a stir on social media.
The decisions has enraged France fans on social media with sections of the French press also leading some of the outrage. But France players have opted to avoid the hysteria and focus solely on the opposition.
Dayot Upamecano said: ‘I’m not going to focus on who the referee will be.
‘We’ve never done that before, we’re going to focus on Morocco. What we want to do is win this match, that’s the most important thing.’
Lens goalkeeper Robin Risser, Deschamps’ third choice goalkeeper this summer, added: ‘We mustn’t fall into paranoia; it’s your role to stir things up.
‘There’s been a certain bitterness for a few years now since the last final but that’s part of the game. If these referees are there, it’s because they’re up to the level of the competition.’
The French referee at the centre of Argentina’s controversial win over Egypt meanwhile is the subject of an official complaint from the Egyptian FA who have demanded he have no further role to play in the competition.