Petition for REPLAY World Cup final – made by seething French fans – passes 200,000 signatures, with supporters complaining about referee decisions for Argentina’s first two goals
- More than 200,000 French fans have signed a petition to replay the World Cup final
- Argentina defeated France on penalties to win the World Cup in Qatar on Sunday
- But fans of the losing side think that the referee made the wrong decisions on two goals
- French media previously said Argentina’s third should also have been rejected
More than 200,000 French fans have signed an online petition calling for the World Cup final to be replayed over what they see as refereeing errors.
The centerpiece of Sunday was Argentina’s win against France on penalties after a thrilling 3-3 draw in Qatar. Some considered it a showcase of the best football the sport has to offer.
However, a number of seething fans of the losing side have put their names to MesOpinionsan online petition website, saying the game should be replayed because they believe the referee has been scammed twice for goals in Argentina.
A petition believes that Ousmane Dembele’s foul on Angel Di Maria was not a penalty for the opener
More than 200,000 people have signed online claiming a foul on Kylian Mbappé was ignored
Lionel Messi scored his first goal from the penalty spot after Ousmane Dembélé knocked down Argentina’s Angel Di Maria in the penalty area. However, the petition says that a penalty was ‘never given’, claiming contact was minimal as the 34-year-old Juventus midfielder went down easily.
The writers of the electronic request also had a problem with the second goal, claiming that Kylian Mbappé was fouled on one side of the pitch by Cristian Romero. Instead, a clever counter-attack sent the ball to the other side of the field, where Di Maria wrote his own name on the scoresheet to make it 2-0 in the 36th minute.
Despite universal praise for Polish referee Szymon Marciniak’s handling of the showpiece’s pressure, the petition claimed that ‘the refereeing was totally sold’.
Some France fans have accused World Cup final referee Szymon Marciniak of being scammed
Mbappé was left devastated by the defeat, despite scoring a hat-trick as France fought back
Despite France appearing off-color for most of the match, Mbappé struck twice too late to take the final to extra time – when there was even more controversy over Argentina’s third goal, sending them into the second half of 15 minutes ahead.
Earlier, the French press claimed that Argentina’s third goal was in the World Cup final should not have been allowed as two substitutes ran onto the pitch before Messi’s shot had crossed the line.
The controversial moment came in the 108th minute when Lautaro Martinez was put through on goal. His effort was well saved by Hugo Lorisbut Messi was ready to tap the rebound from close range.
Two Argentine substitutes appeared to take the field before Lionel Messi’s second goal went in
Mbappé, 24, got a World Cup hat-trick to re-tie the game with just two minutes of 120 remaining, taking the match to a penalty shootout to determine the winner.
Kingsley Coman and Aurelien Tchouameni both failed to convert their penalties, while Argentina converted all four to secure the nation’s third World Cup title, and their first since 1986.
Now that the petition has reached 200,000 signatures, it is now in the top 20 most signed demands on MesOpinions. The website states that it takes 500,000 signatories to get into the top 3 of most signed petitions.
It is unclear what jurisdiction the website would have over FIFA to allow them to recognize the claims.
Lionel Messi took a while, but his second goal was finally approved after a VAR check
Argentina went on to lift the World Cup trophy after a dramatic penalty shootout in Qatar