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Rabat – The French Football Federation has officially asked FIFA to cancel the yellow card shown to Michael Olise during France’s World Cup win over Paraguay.
Olise was booked after an incident with Paraguay midfielder Matias Galarza during France’s 1-0 victory in the round of 16.
French officials argue that video footage shows Olise did not make contact with Galarza’s face and that the Bayern Munich player did not deserve the yellow card.
The card could become important against Morocco.
If Olise receives another yellow card in Thursday’s quarterfinal and France qualify, he would be suspended for the semifinal.
Morocco also have four players booked
France’s request has raised the question of whether Morocco could make a similar move before the quarterfinal.
Morocco had four players booked during their 3-0 win over Canada in the round of 16.
The players are Redouane Halhal, Achraf Hakimi, Azzedine Ounahi and Bilal El Khannouss.
All four will have to be careful against France.
A second yellow card before the end of the quarterfinals would lead to a one-match suspension if Morocco reach the semifinals. FIFA’s rules clear yellow cards after the quarterfinals, but not before a player serves a suspension for two bookings.
As of now, Morocco have not publicly announced any official request to cancel their players’ yellow cards.
Balogun decision creates new pressure
The timing of France’s appeal comes after FIFA’s controversial decision to suspend Folarin Balogun’s automatic one-match ban.
Balogun had received a red card during the United States’ win over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
He was expected to miss the round-of-16 match against Belgium, but FIFA later suspended the punishment under Article 27 of its disciplinary code.
U.S. President Donald Trump later thanked FIFA on Truth Social.
“Thank you to FIFA for doing what was right, and reversing a great injustice,” Trump wrote.
The case caused strong criticism from Belgium and UEFA, who argued that red-card suspensions should be automatic and that FIFA’s decision created a dangerous precedent.
FIFA faces consistency yet
France’s request is different from the Balogun case because Olise received a yellow card, not a red card.
But the wider issue is the same.
Teams are now watching how far FIFA is willing to go in changing disciplinary decisions during the knockout stage.
If FIFA accepts France’s request, Morocco may face questions from supporters about whether the Royal Moroccan Football Federation should also try to protect its players before the France match.
Hakimi, Ounahi, El Khannouss and Halhal are all important options for Mohamed Ouahbi.
Losing any of them for a possible semifinal would be a serious blow.
For now, Morocco’s focus remains on Thursday’s quarterfinal in Boston.
