France lobby FIFA to rescind Olise yellow card mistake...Rules? What rules?

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France have launched an appeal to FIFA to have Michael Olise’s (pictured) yellow card rescinded, and the timing could hardly be more pointed, coming amid what has become a full-blown disciplinary scandal at this World Cup.


The backdrop is the mess FIFA made of the Folarin Balogun case. Governing bodies lifted the USMNT forward’s red card suspension mid-tournament, a reversal that has left players, coaches and federations openly questioning how discipline is being applied.


Olise was booked in France’s win over Paraguay on Saturday, leaving him on a disciplinary tightrope. Another caution in Thursday’s quarter-final against Morocco at Boston Stadium would rule him out of the semis. The FFF has approached FIFA to correct what it sees as a clear officiating error.


England coach Thomas Tuchel wasn’t about to let the inconsistency pass without comment either. He questioned the process behind Balogun’s reprieve and joked that Harry Kane could ask President Trump to help overturn Jarell Quansah’s red card, picked up in England’s 3-2 win over Mexico.


Trump had praised Kane on Truth Social after the victory. Asked whether Kane might lobby the President, Tuchel replied: “Maybe, that’s a good starting point.”


It’s said with a smile, but the frustration underneath is real. When one nation’s suspension can vanish overnight, every other booking suddenly looks negotiable.


The rules are supposed to be the one fixed point at a World Cup, but in this version of FIFA with its multiple rule fiddling, they look like the most movable thing in it.

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