Rodri slams FIFA officiating after Spain’s semi-final win

City man’s masterclass in Dallas overshadowed referee row

Manchester City‘s Rodri has taken aim at FIFA’s officiating standards at the World Cup. He accused referees of failing to protect teenage sensation Lamine Yamal as Spain swept aside France to reach Sunday’s final.

Goals from Mikel Oyarzabal, converted from the penalty spot, and Pedro Porro sealed a 2-0 win at Dallas Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The result extends Spain’s unbeaten run against France to three matches and booking a place in New Jersey against either England or Argentina.

While the result confirmed Spain’s status as favourites, it was Rodri’s post-match comments that dominated the headlines.

The 30-year-old, again immense in midfield alongside Fabian Ruiz, completed 87% of his passes, won 11 duels and drew three fouls, but was more concerned with the treatment being dished out to his teammate Yamal than his own display.

“It’s obvious,” Rodri said. “We’ve been dealing with this situation for three games now, there have been too many fouls.

“We’re talking about 10 or 15 fouls where the kid goes to the ground. If the referees do not call them, then the defence will keep doing the same thing.

“The permissiveness is clear and was especially obvious today. But he still played a great match.”

It is the latest in a string of complaints about refereeing standards at this tournament, with VAR decisions and foul counts coming under fire throughout the knockout stages.

Yamal himself won the game’s decisive penalty after France full-back Lucas Digne mistimed a clearance and caught the 19-year-old, though Rodri’s frustration points to a broader pattern rather than a single incident.

Ballon d’Or winner chasing rare piece of history

Beyond the officiating row, Sunday’s final carries huge personal significance for Rodri.

Victory would allow the Spain captain to join an extremely exclusive club of players who have won the World Cup, the Champions League (or European Cup) and the Ballon d’Or — a list that currently runs to just ten names, including Franz Beckenbauer, Zinedine Zidane and Lionel Messi.

Rodri claimed the 2024 Ballon d’Or on the back of City’s treble-winning season under Pep Guardiola, and lifting the World Cup would make him the first Spanish player ever to complete that particular set.

For a player who has spent the last two seasons proving himself the most complete defensive midfielder in the world, it would be the crowning achievement of an already remarkable career.

Yamal, meanwhile, has his own slice of history within reach. Should Spain win on Sunday, he would become the fifth-youngest World Cup winner in the tournament’s history.

He would move above Brazil’s Marco Antonio on that list — a remarkable feat for a player still only 19.

For City supporters, the final offers a rare treat: watching two of the club’s most influential figures — one an elder statesman of the midfield, the other a rising force further forward at club level — competing on the biggest stage in international football.

Spain boss Luis de la Fuente has built his side around Rodri’s control of the tempo, and few would bet against the same qualities that carried City to trophy after trophy under Guardiola proving decisive again in New Jersey.

For Rodri, the frustrations over officiating will matter little if his team can finish the job — and hand him a piece of history no Spaniard has ever claimed.