Has FIFA Punished François Letexier? Separating Fact From Viral Fake News

Over the past few days, social media has been flooded with claims that FIFA has suspended French referee François Letexier following the controversial World Cup Round of 16 match between Argentina and Egypt. Some posts even claimed that FIFA President Gianni Infantino had officially announced Letexier’s removal from the tournament.

However, those claims are false.

Following Egypt’s dramatic 3-2 defeat to Argentina, the Egyptian Football Association did submit an official complaint to FIFA. The federation requested an investigation into several refereeing decisions and asked FIFA to remove Letexier and his officiating team from the remainder of the World Cup. The complaint quickly became one of the biggest refereeing stories of the tournament.

Despite the widespread speculation, FIFA has not announced any suspension, fine or disciplinary action against François Letexier. There is currently no official statement confirming that the French referee has been removed from FIFA’s list of officials or excluded from future appointments.

Much of the confusion came from several viral videos circulating on social media that appeared to show Gianni Infantino announcing Letexier’s suspension. Those videos have since been identified as AI-generated fake content and do not represent any official FIFA communication.

FIFA’s Chairman of the Referees Committee, Pierluigi Collina, has publicly defended the integrity of FIFA’s officials in recent days. While he acknowledged that refereeing decisions will always generate debate, he rejected suggestions that FIFA referees are influenced by external pressure and reaffirmed the organisation’s confidence in its officiating teams.

Could FIFA still decide not to appoint Letexier for another match? Yes. FIFA evaluates every referee after each game, and future appointments always depend on those internal assessments. However, that is very different from an official suspension or punishment, and no such decision has been announced.

The VAR Verdict

The Argentina vs Egypt match has produced one of the biggest refereeing controversies of the 2026 World Cup, but it has also generated a significant amount of misinformation.

The facts are clear. Egypt filed an official complaint, but FIFA has not suspended, fined or removed François Letexier from the tournament. Until FIFA releases an official statement saying otherwise, reports claiming Letexier has already been punished should be treated as rumours rather than facts.

For The VAR Verdict, separating verified information from viral speculation is just as important as analysing the decisions made on the pitch.