Ilgiz Tantashev Must Never Officiate a Football Match Again

To: FIFA, FIFA Refereeing Committee, Pierluigi Collina (Chairman, FIFA Referees Committee)

We, football supporters around the world, demand that Mr. Ilgiz Tantashev (Uzbekistan) be permanently banned from officiating any football match at any level, effective immediately, following his performance in the Round of 16 match between Paraguay and France at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on July 4, 2026.

The facts:
Paraguay committed 13 fouls without receiving a single yellow card, while France, with two fewer fouls, received three.
Multiple violent contacts on Kylian Mbappé — a blow to the face, a blow to the arm, a shin tackle — went unpunished, including after VAR review.
Other French players (Manu Koné, Adrien Rabiot, Dayot Upamecano) suffered unsanctioned fouls, some deliberate and unrelated to playing the ball.
This is not an isolated incident: his officiating during Scotland-Morocco in the group stage was already criticized for an unawarded penalty, and his performance at the Paris 2024 Olympics was described as struggling under pressure.

Our demand:
Mr. Ilgiz Tantashev has repeatedly shown an inability to control high-stakes matches and protect player safety. We call on FIFA to permanently withdraw his international and domestic officiating license, effective immediately, and to bar him from ever officiating a football match again at any level.
Player safety must come before any referee's career.