The semi-final match between Morocoo and France concluded over 24 hours ago, but that does not mean that the Moroccan side is willing to go out of the tournament without their voices being heard.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) has issued a press release where they show their discomfort regarding the attitude and decisions made by Mexican referee César Ramos in the semi-final tie against France, which ended in a two-nil win for Les Bleus. The FRMF has protested for allegedly being subject to an "injustice" by the judge of the tie that granted the last ticket to play in the FIFA World Cup final.
"The Royal Moroccan Football Federatiion has protested for how Mexican referee César Arturo Ramos Palazuelos handled his duties during the game between the national team and the French squad," the statement reads.
The foul against Sofiane Boufal, which ended in a yellow card for the footballer, is the center of all the controversy for the Moroccan Federation. But away from that play, the FRMF inquired why VAR technology was not used to review that key play, which took place when the game was 1-0 for France.
"At the same time, we are shocked to see that VAR referees did not alert their counterparts on the pitch of this action, failing to recommend him to check the monitor for verification," the press release adds.
The document concludes with the Moroccan side promising further actions to prevent any wrongdoings against their national team in other games, moving forward.
"The FRMF confirms its commitment to defend the rights of our national team, asking for equity in the adoption of the necessary rules to prevent such injustices as the ones suffered by the Moroccan side in its game against the French National team," the statement concludes.
It is yet to be seen if this protest has any effect on Morocco's third-place match against Croatia. The only certainty right now is that ref Ramos Palazuelos will not have such high notes as he did to be handed a semi-final tie in the first place.
