2022 World Cup: Morocco file protest against referee in semi-final loss to France

The Moroccan football federation (FMRF) has filed a complaint to FIFA about the refereeing during their World Cup semi-final defeat against France.

WHAT HAPPENED? Morocco believe they should have been awarded a penalty when Sofiane Boufal went down in the box in the first half, but referee Cesar Ramos booked the winger for a foul on Theo Hernandez instead. They were also upset about the refusal to act when Selim Amallah was brought down in the second half.

WHAT THEY SAID: The FMRF said in a statement confirming their complaint: "The FMRF has written to the relevant body to review the refereeing decisions that deprived the Moroccan team of two penalties that were indisputable in the view of several refereeing specialists. The FMRF was equally astonished that the video assistant referee (VAR) did not react to these situations."

THE BIGGER PICTURE: The decisions may have proved crucial for Morocco as they went crashing out of the World Cup, losing 2-0 due to goals from Theo Hernandez and Randal Kolo Muani.

WHAT NEXT FOR MOROCCO? After their semi-final loss, Morocco will take on Croatia on Saturday to decide who finishes third in the competition.