Will Morocco pay the price for the controversy sparked by the Lataksar whistle in the Egypt-Argentina match?

Reactions varied in Moroccan circles after the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) announced the appointment of Argentine referee Facundo Tello to manage the match between Morocco and France in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup. Fears that the match might be affected by the repercussions of the arbitration controversy that accompanied the confrontation between Egypt and Argentina were mixed with optimism based on positive memories of the referee himself with the “Atlas Lions” in the Qatar 2022 World Cup.

A number of Moroccan fans expressed, via social media platforms, their concern that the Moroccan national team would be subjected to decisions that might be interpreted as an attempt to balance the criticism directed at French referee François Letcquer after the controversial match between Egypt and Argentina in the round of sixteen, which sparked a wide wave of objections inside and outside Egypt due to a number of refereeing decisions.

On the other hand, many Moroccan fans recalled the match that Thilo officiated between Morocco and Portugal in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which ended with a historic victory for the Atlas Lions and their reaching the semi-finals, expressing their hope that the “good omen” would be repeated against France.

Moroccan fans also monitored the reactions in the French media, which dealt with the appointment of the Argentine referee and expressed reservations about it, considering that the early controversy may represent an attempt to influence the refereeing team before the match scheduled for mid-Friday in Boston.

FIFA announced that the management of the match would be assigned to Argentine referee Facundo Tello, who leads an all-Argentine refereeing team that includes assistants Juan Pablo Pilati and Gabriel Shadi, while Dario Herrera is the fourth official, and Cristian Navarro is responsible for the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology.

Thilo, 44 ​​years old, is participating in the World Cup finals for the second time in his career, after he previously officiated against Morocco and Portugal in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which saw the Moroccan national team qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in its history.