After Appeal: Decision on Olise's Yellow Card Reached

Michael Olise's yellow card stands.

World football governing body FIFA has rejected the appeal from the French Football Federation (FFF). The Bayern professional will therefore go into the World Cup quarter-final against Morocco (Thursday, from 10 PM in the LIVE ticker>>>) with a prior booking.

"Nothing has changed. We received a notification from FIFA this morning; it stands," confirmed France's national coach Didier Deschamps at Wednesday's press conference.

Booking against Paraguay

Olise received the booking in the round of 16 match against Paraguay in injury time. From the French perspective, it was a clear wrong decision: TV footage showed that the 24-year-old had not touched his opponent Matias Galarza.

The Bayern star had merely put his finger to his mouth after Galarza had previously provoked a confrontation. Subsequently, the Paraguayan dramatically fell to the ground and feigned a punch.

Referee Ilgis Tantashev from Uzbekistan nevertheless decided to issue a yellow card to Olise. Galarza, however, remained unbooked.

Could Miss Semi-Final

The French Football Federation had subsequently requested FIFA to annul the card. Hopes for a retrospective correction were high, especially since the world governing body had shortly before overturned a red card suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun.

However, FIFA decided differently in Olise's case. The booking stands and could still have consequences for France. Should the Bayern professional receive another yellow card in the quarter-final against Morocco, he would be suspended for a potential semi-final against Spain or Belgium.

An absence would be particularly bitter for the French team. Olise has been one of the most important offensive players in the World Cup so far and leads the tournament's assist charts with five assists. Besides him, Bradley Barcola and Manu Koné also carry prior bookings from the Paraguay match.