The French Football Federation's appeal over Michael Olise's yellow card in the World Cup Round of 16 match against Paraguay has been dismissed by FIFA, France head coach Didier Deschamps confirmed.
Olise was shown a yellow card after a clash with Paraguay midfielder Matías Galarza. Galarza went down holding his face, but slow-motion replays showed Olise had only pulled his shirt.
The French federation believed there were strong grounds for an appeal, especially after FIFA had previously made a stunning decision to overturn US player Folarin Balogun's suspension, allowing him to play against Belgium. However, Deschamps revealed in a press conference on Wednesday that their request to FIFA had been denied — meaning Olise will face a one-match suspension, and miss a potential semi-final, if he receives another yellow card in Thursday's quarter-final against Morocco in Boston.
Deschamps said: "Olise's yellow card stands. Nothing has changed. We received FIFA's decision this morning — the yellow card remains valid."
Deschamps is currently preparing his side for the quarter-final clash against Morocco, a repeat of the World Cup semi-final four years ago in Qatar.
Deschamps also confirmed that striker Kylian Mbappé is ready to face Morocco, despite being embroiled in a controversy over racial slurs made by a Paraguayan senator. "Mbappé is fine. Whatever happened, I don't want to look back on it. He is very strong mentally and physically. He is focused on tomorrow's game. Kylian feels good, like the rest of the team," Deschamps said.
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