Olise was booked following an altercation with Paraguay's Matias Galarza. Patrick Smith – FIFA/FIFA via Getty ImagesJuly 8, 2026 Updated 1:53 pm EDTMichael Olise’s yellow card in France’s World Cup round-of-16 victory over Paraguay has been upheld by FIFA, head coach Didier Deschamps said on Wednesday.Olise was booked following an altercation with Matias Galarza. The Paraguayan went to ground holding his face, but replays showed the Bayern Munich forward was only holding his shirt.The French Football Federation (FFF) subsequently appealed to FIFA, the competition’s governing body, to rescind the yellow card.
That appeal came after FIFA suspended a one-match ban for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun following an intervention involving U.S. President Donald Trump.The FFF insisted its appeal was not a direct response to the Balogun case and that Olise’s yellow card was an injustice in its own right.“The yellow card (for Olise) hasn’t changed,” Deschamps confirmed at his press conference on Wednesday.“There was a decision from FIFA, we received it this morning. It has been upheld.”The yellow card standing means that should Olise — the 24-year-old playmaker who has been one of the tournament’s star players — be booked again in Thursday’s quarter-final tie with Morocco, he would be suspended for a potential World Cup semi-final.Should France progress through the last-eight tie in Boston, they would face the winners of Spain’s quarter-final against Belgium for a spot in the July 19 final.Jul 8, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
