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Rabat – Moroccan footballer Achraf Hakimi confronted FIFA President Gianni Infantino following the game against Croatia, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Croats.
Hakimi and the rest of Morocco’s squad were angered by some of Qatari referee Andulrahman Al-Jassim’s calls, who let the play continue as the Atlas Lions called for penalties and fouls.
Carrie Brown, a beIN Sports reporter, tweeted that Hakimi spoke to FIFA officials in the stadium’s tunnel as he exited the pitch.
“[Hakimi] then approached Infantino and pleaded with him about the refereeing,” she said. “Politely, desperately. Teammates walked him away.”
“I was disgruntled a bit for what happened during the match, but the issue will remain between me and Infantino,” Hakimi said following the game. “I respect him a lot, and when I met him soon after I regretted using the words I did… I was feeling wounded after losing.”
This is not the first time that the Moroccan team has protested the World Cup’s officiating.
Following the game against France, which saw Morocco exit the tournament in the semi-finals, the north African country’s football federation officially complained about the refereeing, as Mexican referee Cesar Ramos refused to give the Moroccan team two penalties.
Going back as far as the 2018 World Cup, in which Morocco exited in the group stage, Morocco’s Nordin Amrabat protested the newly implemented video refereeing system “VAR”.
After the referee in Morocco’s game against Spain in 2018 allowed a goal that was originally flagged for offside, Spain was able to end the game on a tie, instead of sustaining a defeat by the Atlas Lions.
Following the game, Amrabat turned to the camera in protest, clearly saying the phrase: “VAR is bulls**t.”
Following the game against Croatia, the player posted the iconic picture on Facebook.
Despite the loss against Croatia, Morocco’s fourth place finish remains the best one achieved by any African or Arab nation in the competition’s history.
The Moroccan team made history by reaching the semi-finals, becoming the 2022 World Cup’s Cinderella story and gaining support from neutral fans and those looking for an underdog.
