MOROCCO have filed an official complaint to FIFA over the standard of refereeing during their World Cup semi-final defeat to France.
The North African side were beaten by the Europeans 2-0 at the Al Bayt Stadium but have argued they were denied two penalties.
The Moroccans were the first African team to ever go that far into a World Cup tournament but goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani meant they would miss out on making a final.
However, there was a lot of talk about the standard of referee Cesar Ramos after some questionable decisions, with fans demanding a rematch as a result.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation have argued that “A protest which follows the two penalties not whistled for Morocco in the first period”, as reported by Footmercato.
One of the incidents that they are referring to is when Sofiane Boufal was taken out by Hernandez.
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But instead of a penalty being awarded, the former Southampton star was judged to have fouled the Frenchman and was given a yellow card by the Mexican official.
Despite the error, VAR did not intervene or challenge Ramos, which is what is believed to have upset the RMFF.
The other penalty claim was the lack of decision when Standard de Liege midfielder Selim Amallah went down in the box during a set piece, but nothing was given.
Fans have since called for the game to be replayed and have been encouraged by an Instagram account that appears to be owned by Ramos.
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After the game, the account posted a message to the Moroccan fans saying: “My friends, the Moroccan people. Please be patient.
“If you are not satisfied with the match, you can file a collective objection via FIFA’s website and the match can be played again.”
Morocco fans have slammed him for his performance under the post.
One said: “Just explain the yellow card for Boufal. The card was meant for the French player. I think you forgot how to do your work”
A second added: “We demand rematch between Morocco and France.”
A third wrote: “A French player hit Boufal in the penalty area. Instead of giving him a penalty kick, you gave him a yellow card.”
A fourth commented: “It was not fair for our team the whole Moroccan country is sad.”
The claims and demands for a rematch have very little chance of succeeding, especially as France play the World Cup final against Argentina on Sunday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
