"He’s looking for excuses!" De la Fuente hits back at Didier Deschamps’ criticism of referees

Deschamps believes the referee in the semifinal was not objective.

Details: Spain’s head coach Luis de la Fuente addressed the post-match discussions about the officiating after the clash with France, insisting he doesn’t see the refereeing as a factor in the final result.

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"When the result slips away from you, it’s very common to start looking for excuses. That’s something that happens in football," said De la Fuente.

He reminded everyone that his team had previously encountered controversial refereeing decisions as well.

"We’ve also had tough moments with referees, for example in the match against Uruguay. It happens because referees try not to stop the game unnecessarily."

The coach also responded to Deschamps’ remarks, if they were indeed made.

"If Deschamps really said that, then both teams played under the same refereeing."

According to the boss of La Roja, the referee didn’t favor either side.

"I don’t believe the referee gave any team an advantage. Our goal was disallowed for offside. But I’m not going to dwell on the officials’ performance," he stressed.