FIFA defends referee Barton against French coach's criticism

FIFA has publicly defended Salvadoran referee Iván Barton after French national team coach Didier Deschamps questioned his ability to officiate a World Cup semifinal. Deschamps expressed dissatisfaction with Barton's performance in France's 2-0 loss to Spain.

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Yes. Our referees are of world-class quality.

Pierluigi Collina, FIFA's Chief Refereeing Officer, responded clearly to Deschamps' comments. "Our referees are of world-class quality," Collina stated, emphasizing that FIFA's refereeing cannot be influenced and that match officials make honest decisions while striving to perform their best.

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Nobody can claim that FIFA Refereeing can be influenced by anyone.

Deschamps had voiced his doubts about Barton's level for a semifinal match, though he also acknowledged that France's performance was a primary reason for their defeat. This incident adds to a series of refereeing controversies during the tournament. Egypt, for example, requested the exclusion of French referee François Letexier due to alleged "flagrant errors" in their loss to Argentina.

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Match officials make honest decisions and, just like players and coaches, they always try to do their best.

Another notable case involved the FIFA Disciplinary Committee overturning a suspension for American player Folarin Balogun. Reports indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump had contacted FIFA President Gianni Infantino regarding the matter, allowing Balogun to play in a subsequent match.

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The first reason for the defeat of the Bleus was that the team was below par and less dangerous offensively than it could have been.