Who is Facundo Tello? Meet the referee officiating France vs Morocco FIFA World Cup 2026 quarter-final
(Courtesy : Getty)
Olise, Barcola and Hakimi are one card away from missing the semi-finals!
Boston Stadium in Foxborough, United States of America, is all set to host the first quarter-final fixture of the FIFA World Cup 2026, where two-time world champions and one of the favourites to win the tournament, France, will lock horns with reigning AFCON champions Morocco.
Ahead of the big game, FIFA announced the list of referees officiating the France vs Morocco game in Boston. FIFA has decided to appoint an all-Argentine officiating crew for the France vs Morocco match. This decision has sparked massive outrage, with fans accusing FIFA of being biased towards one team.
This will also be the first occasion in the FIFA World Cup 2026 that all five on-field officials come from the same country. Surprisingly, all referees belong to Argentina, and La Albiceleste could be France’s potential opponent in the final of the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Despite all the noise, it is important to know that referees officiating in FIFA tournaments often prioritise fairness and professionalism over nationality.
In this article, we take a look at Argentine referee Facundo Tello, who will be officiating the France vs Morocco quarterfinals fixture in the FIFA World Cup 2026.
Facundo Tello is regarded as one of South America’s most strict FIFA officials
Unlike the Paraguay vs France Round of 16 fixture, the referee in the upcoming game, Facundo Tello, is regarded as one of the most uncompromising and respected referees. The Argentine official has been a FIFA-listed international referee since 2019 and has been part of major international games previously.
Tello has a sober nature on the field. He rarely smiles and remains entirely composed during chaotic moments. He has a zero-tolerance approach and averages 4.59 yellow cards per game. Unlike other referees who allow coaches and players to vent, Tello flashes yellow cards instantly for dissent.
He has so far officiated two games in the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Canada vs Bosnia game and the South Africa vs South Korea match. Apart from that, he was part of three FIFA World Cup 2022 games, including the Morocco vs Portugal 2022 quarterfinals fixture.
After Portugal’s elimination in the last edition, Bruno Fernandes claimed it was unacceptable for an Argentine referee to officiate their match while Argentina was still alive in the tournament. Though Tello maintained an unbiased stance and even gave a red card to Morocco’s Walid Chedirra, there were eyebrows raised.
Tello infamously gave 10 red cards in one game
It was back in 2022 when Tello was officiating the Argentine Champions Trophy Final between arch-rivals Boca Juniors and Racing Club. Previously, Tello had sent off a player each from both teams when the score was level 1-1, and the game went to extra time.
Racing Club’s 19-year-old midfielder Carlos Alcaraz scored a header in the 118th minute. Instead of celebrating with his fans, Alcaraz made a disrespectful gesture towards hostile Boca fans and crossed his arms in front of them.
Boca players, infuriated by this incident, attacked Alcaraz violently and the situation became uncontrollable between the two teams. Tello did not choose to verbally calm down the situation and instead used red cards to clear the situation.
In total, Tello handed out 7 red cards to Boca players and 3 red cards to Racing players. After this incident, Boca were ineligible to play and Tello blew his final whistle to mark the conclusion of the game.
Big names like Olise & Hakimi are at risk of missing semis
After France’s appeal was rejected, Michael Olise and PSG star winger Bradley Barcola are on yellow cards already. They must be very careful as they are one booking away from missing out on the next game against Spain or Belgium, potentially in the semi-finals, even if they get the better of Morocco.
The same goes for Morocco, as captain Achraf Hakimi, alongside Stuttgart star Bilal El Khannouss and Azzedine Ounahi, are at risk of missing the semi-finals if they pick up another card.
How is Facundo Tello as a referee?
The Argentine official is a very strict referee known for brandishing yellow cards
Has Facundo Tello officiated World Cup matches?
Yes, Tello has officiated five World Cup games so far.
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In addition to writing articles on World and Indian Football, Saikat has also covered tournaments like the Durand Cup, Indian Super League, and Hockey India League. Notably, his exceptional communication skills have seen him interview legendary icons like Olympic 2024 gold medalist Yibbi Jansen, former Real Madrid player Javi Hernandez, and many more such sporting stalwarts.