France coach Didier Deschamps revealed Wednesday that an appeal against a yellow card shown to Michael Olise in the World Cup last-16 win over Paraguay had been rejected by FIFA.
Olise, who has been one of the tournament’s standout stars, was booked in the final minutes of the bad-tempered clash against Paraguay in Philadelphia after an altercation with Matias Galarza.
“The yellow card has not changed. We were notified by FIFA this morning, it has been maintained,” Deschamps told reporters in Foxborough, on the eve of France’s quarter-final showdown with Morocco at the Gillette Stadium.
Replays showed there was little contact between the two players. Bayern Munich star Olise put his finger in front of his mouth and the Paraguayan player dropped to the ground, claiming he had been hit in the face.
The decision by world football’s governing body to uphold the booking means Olise is now walking a tightrope — if he is booked again against Morocco, he will be suspended for a potential semi-final against Spain or Belgium.
Bradley Barcola and Manu Kone are also at risk of a ban after they were also booked against Paraguay.
Deschamps said midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni was recovering well from a thigh injury that ruled him out of the game against Paraguay.
“Aurelien is doing better. I can’t say more than that. He will maybe take part in training today but I will need to see. The others are all available,” he said.
AFP
