After the different controversies that have been presented around arbitration during the World Cup 2026mainly in the surroundings of the Albiceleste and the Galos, the FIFA announced the appointments for the Semifinals match between France and Spain.
It should be remembered that in the Quarter finals of competition in the duel between one’s ownLes Bleus’ against the Moroccan team, the organization sent a referee quintet made up entirely of Argentines and the actions of the organization were discussed and questioned a lot and that is why on this occasion it did not opt for any whistler from that country.
For the duel against the Spanish, the central referee will be Ivan Barton from El Salvador and on the bands he will be assisted by David Moranfrom the same country, while assistant 2 will be Nicaraguan Antonio Pupiro; the quintet is completed Glenn Nyberg as fourth referee and Mahbod Beigi as reserve assistant, both from Sweden.
Barton, the arbitrator who applied the ‘Prestianni Law’
The Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton has been appointed by the FIFA to direct the Semifinal that will be played France and Spainnext Tuesday, at Dallas Stadium.
This will be the fourth game that the Salvadoran will direct in the World Cup, after blowing the whistle Türkiye-Paraguay and the Japan-Swedenin the group stage, and the Switzerland-Colombia of the Round of 16.
Barton, who has already directed three games in Qatar 2022, He is the Central American referee who has refereed the most World Cup matches in history, ahead of the Guatemalan Carlos Batres who was the central judge in five matches.
The Salvadoran referee also made history by becoming the first to send off a player, the Paraguayan Miguel Almironfor covering his mouth when addressing a rival during the Turkey-Paraguayas stipulated in the rule that began to be applied in the World Cup in response to the case Prestianni/Vinicius.
