France head coach Didier Deschamps was far from pleased with some of the refereeing decisions during his team's loss to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semi-final in Dallas on Tuesday.
France suffered a 2-0 loss to Spain to qualify for Sunday's final in New Jersey, where they will face either England or Argentina.
Although Deschamps didn't name the referee, Ivan Barton, he questioned whether the referee was qualified enough to officiate in a big match like the FIFA World Cup semi-final.
"If I say anything, I'll look like a sore loser because we lost," Deschamps told reporters after the match. "But I ask you: is the referee up to the task of officiating a semi-final? There's the penalty, but that's not all; it adds to everything else. I have nothing against the referee tonight, but ask yourselves the question," he added.
Didier Deschamps on penalty awarded to Spain
Deschamps was referring to the penalty that was awarded to Spain in the 22nd minute. Forward Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the spot to give Spain a 1-0 lead, before Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 58th minute.
Spain were awarded a penalty after France defender Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal inside the box. Digne attempted to clear the ball as Yamal sprinted in from behind to challenge inside the penalty area.
The ball brushed the teenager's elbow before Digne's follow-through caught him.
"It isn't because we lost that I'm saying this. There were several situations that went against us," Deschamps, who will step down as France head coach after the FIFA World Cup, said. "But the first reason is because we were a bit below our level," he added.
The 1998 FIFA World Cup winner said that the players were devastated after the loss to Spain.
The Les Bleus will next play the third-place playoff match in Miami on Saturday, where they will face the loser of the second semi-final.
"The players are devastated because we had a lot of ambition. We have to recognise that today we were a level below. Technically, we came up against a team that mastered the game. We were less dangerous offensively than we could have been," the 57-year-old explained.
Deschamps took over as France head coach in July 2012. Under his guidance, France went on to win the 2018 FIFA World Cup and the 2020-21 UEFA Nations League titles.
France also finished as runners-up at the 2016 European Championships and the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Zinedine Zidane, another French legend, will reportedly take over as the head coach of France after the FIFA World Cup.
