Refereeing scandal in the match against Argentina! Switzerland coach loses his cool after Embolo’s sending off
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
Murat Yakin is convinced that Switzerland was punished for someone else’s mistake.
Details: After Switzerland’s 1-3 defeat to Argentina in the 2026 World Cup quarter-finals, Murat Yakin lashed out at the officials over Breel Embolo’s sending off. Following an incident with Leandro Paredes, the referee reviewed the play, overturned the Argentine’s booking, and handed the Swiss forward a second yellow card for simulation.
“We were punished for a mistake. There was absolutely no reason for the second yellow card. I don’t understand this decision,” Yakin said.
The Switzerland head coach described the episode as completely harmless and stressed that Embolo’s actions posed no danger to his opponent.
“The refereeing mistake punished us and destroyed our plan. That decision was simply unbelievable. I totally disagree with it. The contact was obvious, and I don’t understand how the referee and VAR reached such a conclusion,” the coach added.
At the same time, Yakin refused to accuse the referees of deliberately favoring the reigning world champions.
“Switzerland had every right to feel unfairly punished. Argentina is a fantastic team, but matches of this magnitude shouldn’t be decided by controversial decisions. However, I wouldn’t say Argentina were favored. The game was honest and open, both teams played football. We were simply punished for a mistake.”
According to the coach, the sending off was the decisive moment of the match and had a major impact on the final result.
“Now we can complain, but I have to congratulate Argentina,” Yakin concluded.
Reminder: Scandal, simulation and tears. Swiss forward Embolo sent off in match against Argentina.
