Former FIFA referee Myroslav Stupar assessed the referee’s actions in two game episodes in the 2026 World Cup qualification match between the national teams of France and Ukraine, where the hosts in Paris won 4—0.
Slavko Vincic«There could be a long discussion now on what would have happened if a penalty had been awarded to the French in a disputed moment at the beginning of the second half... Would this have helped the guests not to lose? In the end, the sentence still had to be realized. I will not do this because I believe that the referee Vincic from Slovenia made the right decisions.
In the first case, the opponents simultaneously touched the ball in the penalty area during the struggle, and it would have been wrong to award an 11-meter penalty in such circumstances. Therefore, after reviewing the video replay of this collision, the referee did not do so.
And soon after, everything began with an error from our midfielder Yarmoliuk, then trying to play ahead, stopper Mykhavko stepped on the opponent’s ankle in the penalty area, and the referee did not need to use the VAR system: the foul was obvious, and Mbappe skillfully executed a Panenka, opening the score.
In general, the refereeing was easy to officiate. It always happens when one of the teams dominates,» Stupar said.
