El Matador coach responds...

Luis de la Fuente, coach of the Spain national team, responded to Didier Deschamps, coach of the France national team, regarding his complaints about the refereeing following the 2-0 loss on Tuesday in the 2026 World Cup semi-final.

Deschamps said in his statements after the defeat: "I will only ask a question... Did the referee have sufficient level to officiate a World Cup semi-final match? I will not answer that question, but there were many controversial situations."

He added: "If I talk about the referee now, they will say I am looking for excuses because we lost, but I repeat the same question: Was the referee qualified to officiate a World Cup semi-final?"

He continued: "It was not just the penalty that was controversial, there were other things as well, and I have no personal problem with the referee, but everyone can ask this question."

On his part, De la Fuente was asked about Deschamps' statements and replied in the press conference: "When results don't go as you wish, you can always find an excuse."

He added, according to French network Foot Mercato: "Sometimes, what happened today reminded us of our match against Uruguay (in the group stage). But, if it is as Deschamps says, we have been through this before."

He continued: "In fact, a goal was disallowed for us. I am not in the mood to dwell on this. We have been through some difficult moments with the refereeing. It reminded us of our match against Uruguay. There were several situations where we felt wronged. The referee was very lenient with many tackles. We have already been through a very unpleasant situation against Uruguay. It was not fair."

He concluded his statements: "What I ask is for everyone to improve: the refereeing, and the Video Assistant Referee (VAR)."