Murat Yakin slammed the “absolutely incomprehensible” decision to send off Breel Embolo during Switzerland’s World Cup quarter-final defeat by Argentina.
Nati bowed out of the tournament after going down 3-1 against the reigning champions after extra-time in Kansas City.
Having fallen behind to Alexis Mac Allister’s early header, Switzerland had momentum following Dan Ndoye’s equaliser midway through the second half.
However, that momentum stalled soon after when Embolo was shown a second yellow card for simulation following a VAR review.
The striker, who left the pitch in tears, appeared to initiate contact with Argentina midfielder Leandro Paredes, whose initial yellow card enabled VAR to intervene under the newly introduced “mistaken identity” protocol for this World Cup.
Embolo subsequently became the fourth player in the tournament’s history on record to be shown a second yellow card for simulation, and Yakin bemoaned the costliness of the decision.
Das tut so weh. Wir unterliegen Argentinien.
C’est tellement douloureux. Nous perdons contre l’Argentine.
Che delusione. Abbiamo perso contro l’Argentina. pic.twitter.com/BxgJ9lD89F—Nati (@nati_sfv_asf) July 12, 2026
“After the equaliser, we had the momentum on our side, and I wanted to make substitutions there as well, to bring on fresh attacking players,” he said.
“We were dominant. We controlled the game. But the red card, we are punished because of a rule that is, to me, absolutely incomprehensible. Of course, it hurts enormously that we were eliminated in this way. We didn’t deserve that today.
“You can imagine how Breel feels. He had been attacked several times beforehand, and he had two or three good phases in the attacking game. But afterward, he could no longer help the team.
“To blame him now is absolutely absurd. He always works for the team, he always has good moments in our game. Of course, he’s devastated that he couldn’t help the team.”
Yakin continued: “For a situation where, beforehand, there should have been yellow cards several times, he gave a yellow card in a situation that, to me, was a harmless foul – or if it was even a foul at all.
“They protect their referee over a rule that destroyed our game today. That hurts enormously.
“First, for me, there was not a single reason to give the Argentine player a yellow card. He simply should have let play continue. He corrected his own mistake against us and, afterward, you could see that we were playing with one fewer man.”
