Deschamps, who dismissed the criticism that he "wouldn't say anything but it was subpar," gave an interview as bitter as France's elimination.

*This content was translated by AI.

Didier Deschamps, head coach of the French national football team, publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the referee's calls after losing the World Cup semi-final.

Reuters reported on the 15th (Korean time) that "Coach Deschamps questioned the level of the referee's calls," stating that "he claimed there were controversial decisions and openly raised questions about whether the Salvadoran-born referee Ivan Barton Cisneros possessed the necessary caliber to officiate the World Cup semi-final."

Coach Deschamps said, "The fourth and fifth officials were top-notch. I spoke with them during the match on the sideline," but then turned back to ask, "I will say nothing. But I want to ask you all: Was the referee truly at a level capable of handling the World Cup semi-final?"

France lost 0-2 to Spain in the 2026 FIFA North American World Cup semi-final held at Dallas Stadium in the United States today. As a result, France's journey toward its third-ever title came to an end in the semi-finals.

The attempt to reach the final for three consecutive tournaments also failed. France won its second-ever title at the 2018 Russia World Cup and reached the final again at the 2022 Qatar World Cup. However, it fell short of the championship after losing to Argentina, led by Lionel Messi (Inter Miami), in a penalty shootout. In this tournament, dreams of victory were dashed in the semi-finals.

It appears that the penalty kick leading to the opening goal was the call Deschamps regretted most. In the 22nd minute of the first half, French full-back Lucas Digne (Aston Villa) kicked the ball away from the left side of the penalty box but accidentally struck Spanish forward Lamine Yamal (Barcelona). Referee Barton immediately awarded a penalty kick.

Subsequently, Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad) stepped up as the kicker and calmly found the back of the net. France, desperately needing an equalizer, pushed its defensive line forward in the second half but instead conceded an additional goal to Pedro Porro (Tottenham) in the 13th minute of the second half.

Coach Deschamps also did not hide his discomfort with the referee's calls in an interview with BeIN Sports. He said, "If I say anything, it will look like I'm whining because we lost," but added, "Still, I want to ask you all: Was this referee at a level capable of handling the World Cup semi-final?"

He continued, "It wasn't just the penalty kick situation; it was everything combined with other incidents," and noted, "I don't have personal feelings against today's referee. But I hope you all ask yourselves that question."

However, aside from the penalty kick, there were no clear obvious errors that significantly influenced the match result. On the contrary, although Olivier Giroud committed a reckless foul on Rodri (Manchester City), he fortunately avoided a red card. Moreover, France simply lost due to its performance rather than the referee's calls. The prevailing assessment was that Spain dominated most of the match and overwhelmed France.

Coach Deschamps acknowledged Spain's superiority. He said, "It is clear that Spain is a very strong team. They proved it in this match," and added, "We did not quite reach our usual level and made more technical mistakes than in previous matches. We were also slightly lacking physically."

He continued, "I knew how talented the Spanish team was. To reach the final, we had to show our best performance," but admitted, "But we failed to do so."

In fact, France's celebrated attacking trio of Kylian Mbappé (Real Madrid), Michael Olise (Bayern Munich), and Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain) remained silent in the match against Spain. The Spanish defensive line moved cohesively, and defensive midfielder Rodri primarily blocked France's offensive buildup.

Coach Deschamps said, "Spain is extremely skilled at connecting plays and reading where passes are going to intercept them," and added, "We were unable to find a solution."

He then remarked, "To some extent, it is our responsibility that we could not reproduce the attacking power and technical level we have shown so far," but also added, "Spain deserves high praise for preventing France from doing so."

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*This content was translated by AI.