The Argentina vs Egypt match in the round of 16 of the ongoing FIFA World Cup was one of the most controversial fixtures of the tournament, with one forward of the Egypt squad and the team’s coach alleging that certain refereeing decisions were made in order to favour the defending champions so that Lionel Messi, the biggest superstar still in competition, continues his run at the tournament.
In the middle of this, another controversy has erupted over FIFA naming an all-Argentina referees’ contingent to officiate the quarterfinal match between France and Morocco on Friday (1:30 am IST). This include the referee, assistants, reserve assistant, and the fourth official.
Deschamps on Argentine match officials
France’s head coach and himself a world champion back in 1998, Didier Deschamps has however said that he is not bothered with the entire refereeing contingent being Argentinian in the match.
“We have to deal with it. I trust the referees. Our opponent is Morocco, not the referee,” the France coach said.
The backup goalie Robin Risser, who was in the press conference along with Deschamps, said, “There has been a certain bitterness [between France and Argentina] for a few years now since the last final, but that’s part of the game,” and added, “If these referees are there, it is because they’re up to the level of the competition.”
The officials’ performances have come under the scanner for a massive part of this tournament, most recently in the round of 16 clash between defending champions Argentina and Egypt, which saw the Messi-led side overcome a 2-0 deficit within 13 minutes and seal a quarterfinal. Mostafa Zico, who saw one of his goals disallowed by the VAR for a foul and the team’s head coach, Hossam Hassan, both lashed out at the referees after the match for committing “injustice”, alleging that the tournament is “fixed”.
The France vs Morocco match will be a repeat of the 2022 semi-final in Qatar, in which Les Bleus managed to defeat their African opponents to enter the final against Messi’s Argentina.
France look unstoppable
France have been the most dominant team in this edition of the tournament, led by their captain, Kylian Mbappe, who has been a goalscoring machine for them. They also have strong players in the lineup like Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembele, who is the current Ballon d’Or winner.
Morocco, on the other hand, have eliminated one of the giants of the tournament, Netherlands, in their round of 32 clash, and will be looking to upstage France in the round of 16.
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