World Cup 2026: FIFA rejects France’s appeal to overturn Michael Olise’s yellow card ahead of Morocco clash

FIFA has rejected the French Football Federation’s request to overturn the yellow card received by France forward Michael Olise ahead of their 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-final clash against Morocco.

The French federation had appealed to FIFA in an attempt to remove the booking Olise picked up during France’s round of 16 victory over Paraguay earlier this week.

France secured a narrow 1-0 win against Paraguay to book their place in the quarter-finals, where they will face Morocco in a highly anticipated encounter.

However, France head coach Didier Deschamps confirmed that FIFA had turned down the appeal, meaning Olise will remain on a yellow card heading into the match.

“Nothing has changed. FIFA sent us a notification, which we received this morning, and they confirmed the rejection,” Deschamps said as quoted by Foot Mercato.

The decision has attracted attention after FIFA recently overturned the suspension of United States striker Folarin Balogun before America’s round of 16 match against Belgium.

Balogun was available for the clash, but he was unable to help his team avoid elimination as Belgium secured a convincing 4-1 victory.

The highly competitive clash between France and Morocco has been scheduled to take place on Thursday, July 9, 2026, with victory crucial to booking a place in the semifinals of the tournament.