Rabat – France beat Morocco to advance in the 2026 World Cup, but the match ended in massive controversy. In the 60th minute, French midfielder Adrien Rabiot appeared to use his hand to win the ball. Seconds later, Kylian Mbappé scored the opening goal.
The referee did not check the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) monitor. The goal stood, changing the game completely. Fans around the world are furious. They feel Morocco was cheated out of a fair match.
The sudden silence of VAR
The score was tied 0-0 when the incident happened. Rabiot intercepted the ball in midfield. Replays showed the ball clearly hitting his hand.
This handball started the attack that led to Mbappé’s goal. By FIFA rules, VAR must review any handball that leads directly to a goal. Yet, the game restarted without a single check. The referees on the field and in the booth stayed completely silent.
FIFA’s broken promises
This mistake happened despite new rules from FIFA. Before the game, FIFA added extra video referees to the stadium. They did this because fans complained that big teams always get the lucky calls.
Uruguay’s Leodán González and Nicaragua’s Tatiana Guzmán were put in charge of the backup VAR. FIFA promised these extra eyes would stop human errors. Instead, the extra referees did nothing during Morocco’s biggest moment of need.
Clear disappointment
The explanation did not ease Morocco’s pain. Moroccan manager Mohamed Ouahbi voiced his deep disappointment after the final whistle.
“The goal comes from a shared ball because there is a handball,” Ouahbi remarked. “I don’t know if it should be whistled or not. It was tough at the end.” Yassine Bounou put on a stellar performance, even saving a first-half penalty from Mbappé, but Morocco could not overcome the setback.
A pattern of favoritism?
This is not the first referee scandal in this World Cup. Days earlier, Egypt complained about “biased” refereeing after losing 3-2 to Argentina. Egypt had a goal disallowed and was denied a clear penalty.
FIFA dismissed Egypt’s complaints as “unfounded.” But now, the same thing has happened to Morocco. Fans believe FIFA is protecting traditional football powerhouses like France and Argentina.
Is football losing its trust?
Technology is supposed to bring justice to sports. But when VAR is only used selectively, it makes the problem worse.
Adding more cameras and referees does not work if they choose to look away. If FIFA wants fans to trust the World Cup, they must explain why the VAR stayed silent during Rabiot’s handball. Until then, the shadow of bias will hang over the entire tournament.
