News, goals, and analysis – only on the official A BOLA app. World Cup The French Football Federation (FFF) has filed an appeal to have the yellow card shown to Michael Olise during the victory over Paraguay (1-0) last Saturday, in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup, according to The Athletic. Olise, one of the key figures for the French national team and the tournament so far, was cautioned after a disagreement with Paraguayan Matias Galarza. The South American player fell to the ground complaining about his face, but television replays showed that the Bayern forward merely grabbed his shirt. With this yellow card, the French playmaker risks missing a potential World Cup semi-final — which could be against Spain or Portugal — if he receives another yellow in the quarter-final match this Thursday against Morocco in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The FFF assures that its appeal is not a direct response to the case of Folarin Balogun, the United States forward, whose one-game suspension was lifted by FIFA after an intervention involving U.S. President Donald Trump, government officials, the U.S. soccer federation, and a large legal team. The French federation insists that the yellow card given to Olise was, in itself, an injustice. Balogun, sent off against Bosnia in the first knockout round, is now eligible to face Belgium in the round of 16 match this Monday at Lumen Field in Seattle. To suspend Balogun’s punishment for a year, FIFA invoked Article 27 of its disciplinary code. The decision has generated widespread criticism, including from UEFA, and the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) has already appealed. In a statement issued this Monday, the governing body of European football stated that the decision “crossed a red line” and that “the integrity of the game is at stake.”
Read more in Serie A news. and related tags: Precedent Set, France Appeals.