France head coach Didier Deschamps and Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi have played down concerns over FIFA's decision to appoint an all-Argentine refereeing team for Thursday's World Cup quarterfinal. Despite France's rivalry with Argentina since the 2022 World Cup final, Deschamps said his side is fully focused on Morocco, while backup goalkeeper Robin Risser voiced confidence in the match officials.
The appointment follows criticism of some refereeing decisions during the tournament, including French referee François Letexier's display in Argentina's round-of-16 victory over Egypt. Ouahbi praised referee Facundo Tello's experience and said Morocco has no issues with the officiating. Although the match is a rematch of the 2022 World Cup semifinal, Ouahbi stressed that Morocco's priority is reaching the semifinals, not avenging their previous defeat.
