Switzerland’s World Cup exit was overshadowed by fury at referee Joao Pinheiro after Breel Embolo was sent off in bizarre fashion during the 3-1 extra-time defeat to Argentina on 12 July.
The incident occurred in the 72nd minute, five minutes after Dan Ndoye had equalised for Switzerland, who were beginning to look the more likely winners against the world champions. Pinheiro initially booked Leandro Paredes for a challenge on Embolo, but the VAR booth in Dallas intervened after replays suggested there had been no contact and that the Swiss forward had gone to ground on his own.
The review was carried out under the tournament’s mistaken identity protocol, which allows officials to correct a card shown to the wrong player. FIFA guidance does not restrict the rule to team-mates, meaning Pinheiro was entitled to withdraw the caution from Paredes and instead book Embolo, who had already been booked in the first half for fouling Paredes. That made it a second yellow and a red. Notably, the review could only be triggered because a card had been shown in the first place, meaning the same incident could not have been reviewed on the basis of the dive alone.
Embolo was left in tears and had to be consoled by team-mates as he left the pitch.
Defender Manuel Akanji did not hold back afterwards, insisting his side had been on the wrong end of glaring inconsistency throughout the contest.
“I’ve never played in a game so one-sided, where every little thing was called,” he said.
“Not one of their dives was called, and then Embolo gets a second yellow card,” he added, describing the manner of the exit as painful given how the game had been going.
Captain Granit Xhaka was equally scathing, arguing the decision had derailed a Swiss side who had taken control after the break.
“We took it, we scored, we felt very good,” Xhaka said of Switzerland’s second-half approach before the sending off.
“The red card changed everything,” he added, saying the dressing room had fallen quiet and disappointed but that the fight shown against a strong Argentina side reflected well on the group’s mentality.
The result ended Switzerland’s run at their first World Cup quarter-final since 1954, with Argentina moving on to face England in the semi-finals.
