Former Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart has branded Paraguay's players "an absolute disgrace" following their World Cup 2026 round of 16 exit at the hands of France, accusing them of going far beyond the acceptable limits of gamesmanship.

Speaking as a pundit for the BBC, Hart reserved particular fury for midfielder Gustavo Velazquez, who deliberately scuffed up the penalty spot moments before Kylian Mbappe was set to take what proved to be the decisive kick. Paraguay players also drew Hart's criticism for staging prolonged delays before the spot-kick was eventually taken.

Despite the intimidation tactics, Mbappe held his nerve and tucked away the only goal of the match, sending France into the quarter-finals.

Hart: 'I'd be dragging them off the pitch'

Reflecting on the penalty incident, Hart did not hold back. "If I'm [Paraguay goalkeeper Orlando] Gill, I don't care if that's my own player; I'm ripping his shirt off his back," Hart was quoted as saying by Express. "That is not how I want to play the game. Disgusting. I'm so glad [Mbappe] sat [Gill] down and slotted [it past] him."

Hart went on to lavish praise on the Real Madrid forward for how he handled the sustained physical and psychological pressure from Paraguay throughout the contest. "I absolutely love how [Mbappe] has behaved in this game, because they have come for him from minute one. And towards the end, when he was just laughing at the Paraguayan players, that is… He's allowed to be arrogant because he is brilliant," Hart added.

The former England international made clear his contempt for Paraguay's overall approach. "The Paraguayan players were an absolute disgrace tonight. If they were on my team, I'd be dragging half of them off the pitch. I would never want to win that way, I would never want to play football that way," he said.

Referee performance questioned

Hart also turned his attention to the officiating, expressing disbelief that not a single Paraguay player received a yellow card during the 90 minutes. "The fact that not one Paraguayan was booked inside the 90 minutes today is absolutely astonishing," he concluded.