SportFootballWorld Cup 2026Referee Ivan Barton caught the eye during the World Cup semi-final between Spain and France for all the wrong reasons20:17, 14 Jul 2026Updated 20:40, 14 Jul 2026Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton was left red-faced during France's World Cup semi-final against Spain after forgetting the vanishing spray. Spain had a free-kick in a dangerous position, with Mikel Oyarzabal complaining about Les Bleus' wall creeping forward, demanding a line to be drawn to mark their position.‌The 35-year-old looked bemused and slightly embarrassed as he glanced over at the touchline with the fourth official handing over the bottle. The free-kick ultimately came to nothing but the delay spanned over a minute for the officials' misdemeanour.‌It wouldn't have been the moment in the spotlight that Barton was after as he was afforded the opportunity to officiate two of the best teams in the world.‌France were looking to book their place in the World Cup final, four years on from their enthralling defeat to Argentina in Qatar, while the reigning European Champions hoped to move within 90 minutes of completing the set.Get the latest World Cup news straight to your inbox by signing up to our Make Football Great Again newsletter now!The 35-year-old was in the thick of the action 12 minutes later when he was forced to make a major decision in the semi-final when Lucas Digne was adjudged to have brought down Lamine Yamal from Marc Cucurella's cross.‌Oyarzabal was soon wheeling away in celebration after powering home beyond Mike Maignan.It was the first penalty that the Salvadoran had awarded in his fourth match at this World Cup. Going into the all-European showdown in Dallas, he had been in the middle for Paraguay's win over Turkey, Japan's draw with Sweden and Switzerland's penalty shootout win over Colombia in the Round of 16.Barton has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2018 and took charge of his first World Cup showdown four years later in the Middle East, where he officiated three matches - including England's Round of 16 win over Senegal.‌The official etched himself into World Cup folklore after becoming the first referee to send off a player for covering their mouth. Former Newcastle midfielder Miguel Almiron was given his marching orders in a landmark decision following the incident against Turkey.The rule put in place to prevent players from hiding offensive comments towards their opponents. Barton visited the VAR screen and quickly ruled that Almiron would be sent off, announcing to the stadium: "After review, number 10, Paraguay, covers his mouth. Decision is red card."Article continues belowOfficiating has been at the centre of attention for France after Uzbekistan referee Ilgiz Tantashev was criticised for his display in the middle for their 1-0 win over Paraguay.The South Americans took a hardened approach to dealing with the tournament favourites' quality with sinister tactics. Going into Tuesday's semi-final, reserve goalkeeper Robin Risser warned against any worries of potential bias.He said: We must not become paranoid. If these referees are involved, it's because they are up to the level of the competition."Choose Daily Mirror as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value.‌FIFA World CupWorld Cup 2026Breaking News