Scandal at the 2026 World Cup: A Paraguayan player stole the referee’s watch during a fight between players

In the 2026 World Cup match between the Turkish and Paraguayan teams, an unprecedented incident occurred that immediately caught the attention of the world. In the last minutes of the first half, the field turned into a battleground. Turkish defender Merih Demiral got into a fight with his opponent and accidentally knocked the referee’s watch off his wrist.

While the players and officials were trying to settle their differences, Paraguayan midfielder Galarza calmly picked up the watch from the field and put it on his own wrist. It’s ironic that just a few minutes later, the referee issued a red card to Paraguayan player Galarza. The watch was returned to its owner only after the match was interrupted. The referee worked without his usual timing device during the entire first half.

The incident has been referred to the FIFA disciplinary committee. Experts say that even under high emotional pressure, taking someone else’s property on the field goes beyond sportsmanship and basic rules of conduct. The organization must give a clear assessment of what happened, in order to maintain the authority of referees and prevent such situations from happening again at this major tournament.

The investigation continues. Official sanctions may be announced in the coming days.