​Switzerland boss Murat Yakin said his side’s World Cup quarter-final collapse was sparked by the new mistaken-identity rule that led to Breel Embolo’s red card in their 3-1 defeat to Argentina. Embolo initially appeared to be booked for a challenge on Leandro Paredes, but referee Joao Pinheiro reviewed the incident and ruled that the Swiss striker had dived, producing a second yellow card and a red. Yakin argued that the sequence should never have happened in the first place, contending that Paredes should not have been booked for his challenge and that Embolo was left “shattered” by the sending-off.
Switzerland had just drawn level through Dan Ndoye moments before Embolo was sent off, and the match ultimately swung in Argentina’s favour as they went on to win with late goals from Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez, sealing a spot in the semi-finals. Yakin insisted that the introduction of the rule was unnecessary and, even in the kindest terms possible, extremely hurtful. He expressed that Switzerland deserved to reach the last four and felt they were punished by a rule that he believes is completely unacceptable.
“We are not going to the semi-finals, but I think we deserved to be there,” Yakin said. “We were punished for a rule that is completely unacceptable. I don’t understand. It is very painful we are eliminated that way. I don’t think we deserved it, and in my opinion, our players are the real heroes.” He added that the referee’s decision to intervene with the VAR review had altered the course of the game, a move he described as completely misunderstandable and a situation that had occurred many times before. He argued that the yellow card for Paredes was unwarranted and that Embolo’s contact was a harmless moment that should have allowed the action to continue.
“The referee makes that one decision that he interfered with,” Yakin said, stress­ing that this is a rule that has changed the game’s dynamics and stifled Switzerland’s chances. He asserted that the yellow card shown to Embolo was unnecessary and that the whole sequence was a ruinous interference on their performance. He explained that there was no real danger in Embolo’s challenge, and the ball should have stayed in play, rather than triggering a review that culminated in a red card.
Despite the setback, Yakin refused to place blame on Embolo himself. He said it would be absurd to hold the player responsible, noting that Embolo was shattered by the red card and could not contribute to the team’s efforts on the pitch. He stressed that Embolo’s dismissal was not his fault and that the defeat should be viewed as a collective result of the match’s officiating decisions rather than one individual’s misstep.
In the aftermath, Yakin acknowledged that Argentina would go on to face England in the last four, while reiterating his belief that his players had performed valiantly up to that point. He remains confident in the quality and character of his squad, insisting that the team’s performance over 90 minutes deserved more than the outcome that the match delivered. He also emphasized that while accountability is necessary, it should not fall on Embolo alone, and he cautioned against placing undue blame on the Swiss attacker for a decision that he believes was the referee’s responsibility.
As focus shifts to future fixtures and Switzerland’s long-term goals, Yakin’s verdict remains clear: the new rule’s application altered the course of a tightly fought quarter-final, and in his view, that result does not reflect the true merit of his team’s display. He called for a reassessment of the rule’s use in high-stakes matches, arguing that it can disproportionally impact teams and outcomes in a way that undermines the competitive integrity of the tournament.