For anyone who wished for a showdown between Victor Wembanyama and LeBron James, your wish is granted! France outdid themselves tonight to move a step closer to the coveted Gold medal, defeating Germany in the Paris Olympics semifinals. However, Franz Wagner and Co. were unstoppable in the first quarter, leading by 7. Even when it seemed the Frenchmen wouldn’t catch up, they somehow did! Despite this brilliance, the game is catching attention for a completely different reason. It’s the officiating, again.

Fans noticed a peculiar thing – France getting the edge from the referees. Many of the whistles blown tonight were favoring France. Even though Germany tried, it wasn’t enough. And it took no extra time for people to ravage X, calling out the officials, sparking a massive debate and a series of accusations. This isn’t the first time fans have accused the hosts of having help.

In their recent matchup against Canada, some of the fans couldn’t make anything out of the game except the fact that it was rigged! “It ain’t Canada Vs France it’s Canada Vs The Refs,” a viral comment read on X.

France undeniably played their best defense so far in the Olympics. However, when it came to the calls, there were more than a few that raised eyebrows. Yabusele was the all-rounder, bringing in the most energy on both ends of the floor. He had 17 points and 7 rebounds for the night while shooting over 63% from the field. Cordinier also had a great night, finishing the Semis with 16 points and 7 rebounds. But then again, the visiting fans refused to believe France’s player’s resilience was the only thing that paid off against Germany.

Fans neglect France’s brilliant defense, deem officiating as “horrible” in the Paris Olympics

Following the first quarter, the Frenchmen flipped the switch. They outscored Germany 38-25 in the next 20 minutes, leaving Schroder and Co. in the dust. Wemby and Yabusele protected the paint while Cordinier and Fournier managed the top of the key. One won’t deny a prime defensive display from France, however, many don’t believe that’s what solely punched their ticket to the gold medal game. One of the fans wrote, “These refs in the France vs Germany basketball game are refusing to call a single foul 😂”.

Well, Germany shot 13 free throws compared to France’s 15. Moreover, France finished the game with 19 fouls while the visitors had 15. At face value, the calls seem quite balanced. However, the officiating in question was regarding the loose ball fouls, and uncalled violations during fumbles which the scoreboard does not portray.

Another fan pointed out that the officiating wasn’t any better in France’s quarterfinal matchup. “The officiating in this France-Germany game has been horrible. Can’t be like this on the biggest stage. Also for the game vs Canada.” SGA and Co. weren’t efficient from the field, and that’s where their trouble began. Delivering on either side of the floor, France outplayed Canada on the offensive end (the home side had 4 players reach double digits on the scoring chart while Canada had only one). But an individual, here, can argue about the officiating discrepancies. That’s because the away side had 17 fewer fouls called in favor of them!

On the other hand, a fan took matters into their own hands, posting a picture of a horse wearing a mask covering its eyes, and referring to how the referees officiated the Semi-Final game. While there will be some degree of hate coming from outside the native fanbase, however, nobody can really change the reality of things now and rely on LeBron James and Co. in the Finals.

As the growing concerns of bad officiating don’t hit a full stop, the upcoming Final is going to have Team USA fans on the edge of their seats. This is the first time since 1996 Atlanta that the host country will proceed to the showdown game. Not to forget, Team USA is also in the hunt, gearing up to win their fifth consecutive gold medal in probably the last Olympic game for their biggest stars. The stakes are high and both teams have edged it past the semifinal stage, now meeting for the much-awaited matchup.

What are your thoughts on the referees in the Paris Olympics? Do you think they are biased? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.