FIFA bans French referee from World Cup matches
The 2026 World Championship encountered another major controversy related to refereeing at a time when it has already drawn attention to the "Zamin.uz" reported.
The French renowned referee François Lette is no longer active in these prestigious tournament matches. The International Football Federation unexpectedly removed him from the list of referees who will manage the remaining games.
The Zamin.uz publication analyzed this controversial decision and its underlying real causes. According to the news provided by the Motivaciones Futbol publication, FIFA officially removed the thirty-seven-year-old referee from the list of referees who will work in the remaining part of the championship.
The organization explained this decision as possibly due to a conflict of interests. It is known that the French national team is still competing for the World Championship title.
Therefore, it was stated that the French referee should not participate in other matches to avoid various doubts and suspicions. However, industry observers are saying that there were other serious factors behind this decision, not just a conflict of interests.
In fact, this decision may have been made due to the controversial penalty controversy in the World Championship semifinal. After the extremely intense match between the Argentina and Egypt national teams, the Egyptian Football Association had officially complained to FIFA about the refereeing team led by François Lette.
From Egypt's side, they considered the canceled goal and the lack of penalty awarded to the team as unfair, stating that these incidents determined the outcome of the match. According to several sports sources, it was precisely due to the strong pressure from the Egyptian Football Federation that FIFA decided to remove the French referee from the remaining matches of the tournament.
This decision was unexpected for the football community, as Lette was considered one of the most prestigious and highly-rated specialists of this World Cup. He had managed the decisive match in last year's European Championship final between Spain and England, setting a record as the youngest final referee in the history of continental championships.
The departure of such a high-profile and influential referee from the World Championship before its end naturally further intensified the debates and discussions in the international football governance system. Currently, Lette himself has not made any official statement regarding this situation.
