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The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) reportedly contacted FIFA over a possible replay of Türkiye's match against Paraguay, but the request was turned down after FIFA concluded that the referee's second watch prevented the incident from affecting his ability to manage the game, according to Sabah.
The issue centered on a moment in the 45th minute, when Matias Galarza, a Paraguayan player, picked up the referee's watch after it fell to the ground and put it on his own wrist. The player was later claimed to have returned the watch to the referee, although Sabah reported that this did not appear in the available footage.
The Paraguayan player had already been shown a yellow card, but the referee did not see the full incident, and, therefore, did not issue a second yellow card. As a result, the player avoided being sent off.
According to Sabah, the incident led to a quiet legal and diplomatic process inside the Turkish camp after Türkiye lost the match and was eliminated from the tournament.
TFF officials reportedly assessed whether the incident could fall under FIFA rules requiring a match replay when conduct damages a referee's authority or prevents the official from managing the game properly.
Sabah reported that legal advisers told TFF President Ibrahim Haciosmanoglu that the chances of overturning the result were low, but that there was still a possible basis to raise the matter.
Haciosmanoglu was reported to have said, "Even if it is 1%, let us resolve this quietly. Let us seek our right."
The federation then contacted FIFA as part of a discreet process, according to the report.
FIFA later shared its perspective with the TFF, while President Gianni Infantino was also reportedly informed. According to Sabah, the world governing body acknowledged that the TFF's observations carried some merit. However, FIFA concluded that the incident failed to prove the referee was incapable of performing his duties.
While noting that official instructions were clear and the TFF's points were well-taken, FIFA maintained that the argument regarding the referee being compromised or hindered from managing the match could not be sustained.
The deciding factor was that the referee wore a second watch. FIFA reportedly advised the TFF that this backup timepiece nullified any claim that the incident compromised match control.
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