France fail to overturn Olise booking, Morocco lose Saibari for quarter-final

Michael Olise’s yellow card stood after FIFA rejected France’s bid to have it wiped out, and Morocco will be without Ismael Saibari for the quarter-final at Boston Stadium near Boston.

Olise’s caution came in the 97th minute of France’s 1-0 round-of-16 win over Paraguay, after an altercation with midfielder Matías Galarza. The French Football Federation appealed after replays showed Olise grabbing Galarza’s shirt, but the booking stood. Didier Deschamps said the decision meant the Bayern Munich winger would be one yellow card away from a semifinal suspension if France beat Morocco and he was booked again. FIFA recently overturned a suspension for U.S. striker Folarin Balogun, a precedent France viewed as relevant.

Deschamps said Aurélien Tchouaméni was recovering from a thigh and groin problem and might train or be available, while Kylian Mbappé was fit despite an unrelated racism dispute involving Paraguayan senator Celeste Amarilla.

Mohamed Ouahbi said Saibari would miss the match because the quarter-final came too soon after the hamstring injury he sustained in Morocco’s 3-0 round-of-16 win over Canada. Saibari had been one of Morocco’s sharpest performers, scoring in all three group matches and converting in the shootout win over the Netherlands.

Morocco lost 2-0 to France in the 2022 World Cup semifinal, the run that made them the first African or Arab nation to reach a World Cup semifinal. France are trying to reach the semifinals for a third straight World Cup, a feat achieved only by Germany and Brazil.