The Folarin Balogun case set a precedent: after FIFA lifted the suspension on the USA striker before their World Cup game against Belgium, without any clear justification that sparked an uproar in the world of football, other teams have tried to do the same, to see if FIFA will turn a blind eye too.
One of them is France, who has one of the standout players of the tournament, Michael Olise, who is booked: if he sees a yellow card during the match against Morocco tomorrow Thursday, he would miss the following match in the semi-finals, against Spain or Belgium.
France coach Didier Deschamps confirmed that the team tried to appeal the booking, which Olise received during the previous match against Paraguay: "There is no change regarding Olise's caution. We have received communication from FIFA that the caution for him stands".
Olise wasn't the only player to receive a yellow card: Manu Koné and Bradley Barcola also received yellow cards during the match against Paraguay, which means that if any of them receives a yellow card, they will miss the potential semi-final match.
France plays against Morocco on Thursday, July 9 at 22:00 CEST.