'You're on the plane home' - Ex-FIFA official shares punishment for Paraguay-France referee

Ilgiz Tantashev could face further punishment after failing to take appropriate action in France's narrow win over Paraguay.

That is according to former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, who exclusively told Football Insider that the referee has already been sent home from the 2026 World Cup.

Football fans from all over were baffled by the official's performance at the Philadelphia Stadium, with Didier Deschamps' side somehow the only side picking up cautions.

Kylian Mbappe, who scored the only goal of the game, was a clear target throughout the 90 minutes, being elbowed, kicked out at, and squared up to.

France's mature approach to the game eventually saw them advance in the tournament, but FIFA are being urged to take further action after some rather ugly scenes.

Juan Caceres and Andres Cubas could have both been sent off for individual incidents, but only Michael Olise, Kouadio Kone and Bradley Barcola saw their names taken.

Ilgiz Tantashev must be ready for further punishment

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Hackett is adamant that Tantashev doesn't deserve to be punished financially, but being sent home is unlikely to be the last of his worries.

"Well, I don't think this should punish the individual financially. I think that, like any sports person, they have a loss of form or their performance is not adequate enough.

"The first thing is taking them out of the oven. It was evident to me that this referee was not capable of handling that level of game.

"And one must ask the question, how was he selected? And on what basis was he selected for the World Cup? Now, the action, as far as he's concerned, is one of retraining.

"As I understand, FIFA are saying, 'You're on the plane home,' as their response to the poor performance. And it was really, really poor.

"He didn't get to grips with the game. Some of his basic technical skills were lacking. And I was just bitterly disappointed witnessing a game of that nature."

Michael Oliver provides hope for Premier League officials

It has not been all doom and gloom for the officials at the 2026 World Cup, though more and more controversy appears to be finding the spotlight.

Folarin Balogun's suspended red card is just the latest in a long line on interesting decisions made by FIFA, but the Premier League officials have done very well so far.

Some were critical of Michael Oliver dishing out eight yellow cards in the clash between Canada and Morocco, but it was exactly what was needed to reassert some authority.

Jarred Gillet has also been exemplary in the VAR room, while Anthony Taylor has a huge task on his hands when Portugal and Spain face off Monday, 6 July.