A Salvadoran official will oversee France vs Spain in Texas on Tuesday night as two European heavyweights go head-to-head.
Didier Deschamps’ side take on La Roja – live on eSPORTY – with a place in the World Cup final up for grabs.
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The heavyweight clash was previously played at the last European Championships in the semi-finals, with Spain going on to win the tournament.
However, Les Bleus will hope to bounce back with their star-studded attack of Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola, Desire Doue, and Michael Olise.
Who will referee France vs Spain?
Ivan Barton has been handed the refereeing duties for the tense last-four fixture in Texas.
He has officiated multiple matches in CONCACAF competitions, including the Nations League and the Gold Cup.
The 35-year-old first became a FIFA referee in 2018 and oversaw a game at the World Cup for the first time in 2022.
He has already been in charge of three matches in North America this summer, with Tuesday’s semi-final now his fourth.
Barton notably officiated the Paraguay vs Turkey group stage match, where he sent off Miguel Almiron as the first player to be issued a red card for covering his mouth.
It was a rule put in place to prevent players from hiding offensive comments towards their opponents.
The referee visited the VAR screen and quickly ruled that Almiron would be sent off, announcing to the stadium: “After review, number 10, Paraguay, covers his mouth. Decision is red card.”
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Barton was also the referee for the round of 16 fixture between Switzerland and Colombia, which ended in a penalty shootout in Vancouver.
Football fans have been left divided after FIFA’s confirmation of the refereeing team.
Even former Chelsea and Manchester United star, Juan Mata said: “You get the feeling that he loves being in that position. If he was carrying a GPS, then he would reach high speed because he was running everywhere.”
L’Equipe has been complimentary towards the official, noting he has plenty of experience at the highest level.
This follows France facing adversity in their last-16 match against a ‘dirty’ Paraguay team who ironically did not receive a single yellow card throughout the whole fixture.
Some French fans are concerned it will happen again but Robin Risser, France’s reserve goalkeeper, told supporters they should not worry about the potential bias.
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Match Officials for France vs Spain
Referee: Iván Barton (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 1: David Moran (El Salvador)
Assistant Referee 2: Antonio Pupiro (Nicaragua)
4th Official: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)
Reserve Assistant Referee: Mahbod Begi (Sweden)
He said: “We must not become paranoid. If these referees are involved, it’s because they are up to the level of the competition.”
Other officials
Assistant referee David Moran has been a FIFA official since 2015, while Antonio Pupiro boasts one extra year of international experience.
Nyberg has been on FIFA’s list of referees since 2016 and was also selected to officiate at the 2024 Olympics.
He was in charge of Bayern Munich against Arsenal in the Champions League in 2024, where he was criticised by then German manager Thomas Tuchel.
The Swede disregarded Gabriel Magalhaes deliberately catching a ball inside the box, justifying his decision by saying he did not want to punish a ‘kid’s mistake’.
His fellow countryman, Mahbod Begi, earned his FIFA badge in 2019, and will be the reserve assistant referee.
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