Sports News

'What's the matter with him?' Galarza's referee watch moment

Jun 21, 2026

Washington DC [US], June 21: Paraguay player Matías Galarza not only scored the 1-0 winner in their World Cup match against Turkey but he also drew attention because he didn't immediately return the watch of referee Ivan Barton he had found on the pitch. Barton lost the watch as tempers briefly flared shortly before half-time and he stepped in to separate the camps. Galarza found the watch and strapped it on before returning it to Barton only a few minutes later. He was not punished for it even though he had been booked early on. The incident left former German referee Patrick Ittrich, who is working as MagentaTV pundit at the World Cup, perplexed. "I mean, what's going on in a player like that? With all due respect. What's the matter with him? I don't know," Ittrich said.