The president of CONMEBOL praised Paraguay and threw a jab at France: "I saw them asking for the time"

The elimination of Paraguay in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup did not go unnoticed by Alejandro Domínguez. Following the tight 1-0 victory for France from a penalty goal, the president of CONMEBOL valued the performance of the team led by Gustavo Alfaro and questioned the performance of the European team, which he considered far from the image it had shown up to that point.

"The team lost today, but it was not defeated. And it also showed many flaws of France. I did not see the fantastic team that everyone mentioned", stated the Paraguayan leader while analyzing the match's development.

Domínguez insisted that the French team struggled more than expected to advance to the quarter-finals and emphasized that their performance was below expectations. "It is a good team. Without a doubt, it is a very good team, but it is not the team that everyone says it is", he maintained.

He even went further with a phrase that quickly went viral: "At least today, I saw them asking for the time. And a gesture that honestly surprises me. Because you come to the World Cup to leave it all on the field".

The head of the South American entity also highlighted Paraguay's performance, which kept the match open until the end despite the defeat, and valued the team's growth since Gustavo Alfaro took over as coach. "The work of Alfaro, the work of the boys, the work of the whole country. A whole continent that believes in greatness", he expressed. Additionally, he reaffirmed the competitive identity of South American teams: "We always play all or nothing, we have no middle ground".

Domínguez's statements had a strong impact as they came just after the match and cast doubt on France's favoritism, one of the main title contenders. At the same time, his words served as a recognition of Paraguay's role, which, despite being eliminated, left a good impression against one of the tournament's most powerful teams.