France players have played down concerns that the officials line-up for their World Cup quarter-final clash with Morocco will all be from Argentina.For the first time in this year's tournament, all five officials appointed to a game belong to the same country. And the fact that country is Argentina – against whom France have built up increasingly intense rivalry in recent years, having went head-to-head with them in the previous two finals – has immediately sparked debate on social media.Experienced referee Facundo Tello will take charge of the match – the first time the 44-year-old has officiated a game involving France – supported by assistants Juan Pablo Belatti and Gabriel Chade, with Dario Herrera is the fourth official. Even the reserve assistant referee, Cristian Navarro, is from the South American country.At the 2018 finals in Russia, France defeated Argentina 4-3 after a thrilling last-16 battle in Kazan with Didier Deschamps' side going on to beat Croatia in the final.Then four years later in Qatar, Argentina enjoyed the sweetest of revenge when they came out on top on penalties in the final after the game had finished 3-3 after extra-time.But there was huge controversy in 2024 after Argentina's Copa America final win over Colombia, when footage emerged of Argentina players singing a racist and discriminatory chant targeting France players of African descent, leading to the French Football Federation filing a complaint with Fifa. The video had been posted on Instagram by Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez then widely shared on X resulting in France defender Wesley Fofana – then a Chelsea teammate of Fernandez – calling it “uninhibited racism”.Fernandez later apologised for the video and made a donation to an anti-discrimination charity that was matched by Chelsea. “The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words,” Fernandez said.“I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character.”The then Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca would also stand by his captain. “We all feel very comfortable and good,” he insisted. “There is no mystery behind it – we all make mistakes and sometimes have to apologise. Enzo apologised four or five times. The lads already accepted it.”But goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, who captained France in their 2018 World Cup-winning campaign, said the song was an “attack on French people”.“It doesn't matter if you are in a moment of euphoria because you have won an important trophy,” Lloris told the BBC. “It demands even more responsibility when you are a winner.“We all stand against discrimination and racism. I just think and hope it is a mistake. We all make mistakes sometimes and hopefully they will learn from it.”The two teams could meet again in this year's final if they come through their respective quarter- and semi-final matches, with Fernandez still a key player for Argentina having scored the winner in their thrilling comeback win over Egypt on Tuesday.Ahead of the Morocco game, though, the French camp remain focused on the Atlas Lions players rather than the nationality of the officials.“I’m not going to focus on who the referee will be,” said Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano. “We’ve never done that before, we’re going to focus on Morocco.”France’s third-choice goalkeeper Robin Risser struck a similar tone. “We mustn’t fall into paranoia,” he said. “There’s been a certain bitterness for a few years now since the last final, but that’s part of the game. If these referees are there, it’s because they’re up to the level of the competition.”