France's attempt to have Michael Olise's yellow card from the last-16 match against Paraguay reversed has come to nothing, with FIFA confirming the booking stands ahead of Thursday's quarter-final against Morocco (21:00 BST) at Boston Stadium.

"The yellow card has not changed. We were notified by Fifa this morning, it has been maintained," France manager Didier Deschamps confirmed on Wednesday.

Olise received the booking in stoppage time during France's 1-0 victory in Philadelphia after clashing with Matias Galarza, who fell to the ground following a shirt-grab. The Bayern Munich winger has contributed five assists at the 2026 World Cup, but a second yellow card against Morocco would rule him out of any potential semi-final against Spain or Belgium.

A feisty encounter in Philadelphia

The Paraguay match was marked by persistent flashpoints. Bradley Barcola and Manu Kone were also booked for France, while referee Ilgiz Tantashev issued no yellow cards to any Paraguay player — a decision that drew sharp criticism.

Paraguay's Gustavo Velazquez was seen attempting to scuff the penalty spot before Kylian Mbappe converted the winning spot-kick, while Dayot Upamecano took an elbow to the ribs from Gabriel Avalos, and Andres Cubas committed a reckless challenge on Adrien Rabiot.

Former England goalkeeper Joe Hart said Paraguay had "gone way too far" with their conduct, and fellow BBC Sport analyst Thomas Hitzlsperger called it "probably the worse referee performance I've seen at this tournament."

The fallout extended beyond the pitch — Mbappe publicly condemned a Paraguayan senator as "despicable" after she made racist remarks targeting his background and upbringing.

FIFA's decision to uphold Olise's card drew further scrutiny given the governing body had earlier suspended a red card issued to United States striker Folarin Balogun, allowing him to play in the last-16 tie against Belgium.

Saibari sidelined for Morocco

Morocco face their own injury concern heading into the quarter-final, with Ismael Saibari ruled out. The 25-year-old, who signed for Bayern Munich from PSV Eindhoven this summer, suffered a hamstring injury and was substituted after just 22 minutes during Morocco's 3-0 last-16 win against co-hosts Canada.

Saibari had been one of Morocco's standout performers, scoring in all three group-stage matches — a goal in the 1-1 draw with Brazil, another in the 1-0 win against Scotland, and one more in the 4-2 victory against Haiti. He also netted the decisive penalty in Morocco's last-32 shootout triumph over the Netherlands.

"He's not ready but I hope it's not the end of the tournament for him," Morocco coach Mohamed Ouahbi said.

Morocco enter Thursday's contest eager to avenge their semi-final defeat to France at the 2022 World Cup, when they became the first African side to reach that stage of the tournament.