Was the referee up to scratch? FIFA refereeing chief responds to Didier Deschamps' comments after France's semi-final loss

In the immediate aftermath of France's semi-final exit in Texas, Deschamps did not hold back in his assessment of the officiating. The French manager focused much of his frustration on Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton, particularly regarding a first-half penalty decision that saw Mikel Oyarzabal convert from the spot after Lamine Yamal was adjudged to have been fouled by Lucas Digne.

Speaking to reporters, Deschamps attempted to balance his critique with the reality of the result. "If I say anything, I'll look like a sore loser because we lost," the 57-year-old head coach said. "But I ask you: is the referee up to the task of officiating a semi-final? There's the penalty, but that's not all; it adds to everything else. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question."

It did not take long for FIFA to respond to the public questioning of their match official. Collina, the legendary former referee who now serves as the head of FIFA's refereeing department, stood firmly behind Barton and his crew. He dismissed the idea that the officiating team was out of its depth during one of the tournament's biggest fixtures.

"In response to the comments of Didier Deschamps questioning if the referee had the level to direct a semi-final, FIFA is clear: 'Yes, definitely'," Collina stated. The Italian emphasised that the selection process for these matches is rigorous, defending the personnel involved by adding: "Our referees are world class."

Deschamps' questioning of the referee's quality stems from the highly controversial refereeing decisions that marred the first half, starting in the 22nd minute when Barton awarded Spain a penalty after Digne caught Yamal in the box. Deschamps was visibly incensed, arguing that Yamal had handled the ball just moments prior, but the decision stood after a VAR review.

Deschamps' frustration compounded in the 43rd minute when Barton completely overturned a promising free-kick awarded to France right outside the penalty area following Fabián Ruiz's challenge on Ousmane Dembele; the referee reversed his own call after consulting his assistant, a move Deschamps described as highly unusual given that both the fourth and fifth officials had initially supported France's claim. Beyond these key incidents, the French boss lamented an "accumulation" of unfavourable decisions, slamming the referee's leniency as Spain escaped yellow cards for several heavy fouls, including a dangerous tackle by Yamal.

While the officiating remained a talking point for the coaching staff, the French players were also introspective regarding their own performance. France struggled to find their rhythm against a clinical Spanish side, with the attack failing to register significant threat until the final minutes of the match. Deschamps admitted that his team was not at the required level to advance to a third consecutive final.

"To have any hope, we needed to be at our best," the coach admitted. "Unfortunately, we weren't. [Spain] defended extremely well. They left us very little space. On top of that, because we made technical mistakes, it became difficult to create problems for them. Our technical level was below what we'd shown in previous matches."