Football fans have called for referee Ilgiz Tantashev to be suspended following his handling of the heated FIFA World Cup Round of 16 clash between France and Paraguay.

France booked a place in the quarter-finals with a hard-fought 1-0 victory, thanks to a second-half penalty converted by Kylian Mbappé after a VAR review. However, much of the post-match discussion centered on the officiating rather than the result.

Supporters and several football pundits argued that Tantashev failed to control the match, accusing him of allowing Paraguay’s physical approach to go largely unpunished. Despite numerous robust challenges, Paraguay finished the match without receiving a yellow card, while France collected three bookings. Critics also pointed to an incident in which a Paraguayan player appeared to scuff the penalty spot before Mbappé’s kick without attracting the referee’s attention.

The officiating quickly became a trending topic online, with many fans demanding FIFA suspend the Uzbek referee from further matches at the tournament. Some commentators described it as one of the poorest refereeing displays of the World Cup, arguing that player safety and consistency in decision-making were compromised.

Despite the controversy, France held on for victory and advanced to the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco. Paraguay exited the tournament after an impressive campaign that included a shock penalty shootout victory over Germany in the previous round.

Pidgin Summary

**Plenty football fans don vex after France beat Paraguay 1-0 for World Cup Round of 16. Dem accuse referee Ilgiz Tantashev say e no control the match well and allow Paraguay players commit plenty rough fouls without punishment. Many people don dey call make FIFA suspend the referee, while France don qualify for quarter-final to face Morocco.**