PRETORIA, South Africa, June 21 (UPI) -- World Cup referee Koman Coulibaly, whose controversial call denied a potential game-winning goal for the U.S. team, has been benched for the next round.
The Malian official was left off a list of referees assigned by FIFA to World Cup matches in the next round, raising speculation he may be done for the tournament, The Washington Post reported.
The FIFA official in charge of referees, Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda, wouldn't comment on the speculation, nor about Coulibaly's foul call, which negated a U.S. goal against Slovenia in Friday's 2-2 draw.
The Post said Garcia-Aranda defended the training given to World Cup referees and contended that overall they deserve high marks. He conceded there have been some calls "that we consider not good enough."
