World Cup referee's poor performance triggers painful memories for author

The author, a former referee of eight years, draws a painful parallel between a recent World Cup match and a deeply unsettling personal memory. Watching referee Ilgiz Tantashev's handling of the France-Paraguay game, where fouls went unpunished and the game's spirit was lost, triggered a flood of recollections from his own youth.

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Men fall in the box like trees in the forest. The shouting begins. Neither team is satisfied.

As a young referee in Finland's fifth division, the author officiated alone on a large field, facing players significantly older and more experienced. He admits to being nervous and not at his sharpest, making an early mistake that he recognized too late. His attempts to correct one error only led to more, creating a downward spiral where his own uncertainty eroded his confidence and alienated the players.

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Tantashev does not just make bad decisions. He is having a bad game.

This personal experience resonates strongly with Tantashev's performance. The author notes that Tantashev not only made poor decisions but seemed to misunderstand the tournament's officiating guidelines. Paraguay's aggressive, foul-heavy tactics, which were also evident against Germany, were allowed to continue without consequence. The author recounts instances of players being punched and elbowed without even receiving a yellow card, highlighting a severe lapse in judgment.

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Paraguayan players treated Kylian Mbappé and the other French players like punching bags. Photo: Terence Lewis, Icon SMI via ZUMA Press

The article criticizes Tantashev's inability to manage the game, contrasting his leniency towards Paraguay with three yellow cards issued to French players. The author questions the role of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), suggesting that even with its presence, misinterpretations and a high threshold for intervention allowed the fouls to go unchecked. Ultimately, the author concludes that when both the on-field referee and VAR fail to grasp the game's spirit, the result is a frustrating and damaging spectacle.

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The Uzbek appears helpless, like a lower-league referee. He has misunderstood the tournament's officiating line.