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Rabat – Morocco head coach Mohamed Ouahbi said he is calm about the refereeing team appointed for Thursday’s World Cup quarterfinal against France.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference, Ouahbi said the Atlas Lions trust the officials and expect them to do their job.
“The referee has experience, and that is what we want,” Ouahbi said. “We are calm in this aspect, and the referees are doing their duty.”
The quarterfinal will be officiated by Argentine referee Facundo Tello.
The match is scheduled for Thursday at 9 p.m. Moroccan time.
Ouahbi mentions yellow cards
Ouahbi also spoke about Morocco’s previous match against Canada, saying the refereeing was generally good.
However, he suggested that some yellow cards were shown too quickly.
“Against Canada, the refereeing was good, except for the yellow cards being shown quickly,” he said.
The Morocco coach then compared that situation with France’s round-of-16 match against Paraguay.
“In France against Paraguay, it was not the same,” he said. “We know that yellow cards have an impact.”
His comments come at a sensitive time, with yellow cards becoming a major topic before the quarterfinal.
Several Morocco players received bookings against Canada, while France also had concerns over Michael Olise’s yellow card against Paraguay.
FIFA has rejected France’s appeal to cancel Olise’s booking, meaning the winger will face Morocco one yellow card away from suspension.
