Some media outlets published FIFA's rejection of the appeal submitted by its Algerian counterpart to replay its match against Cameroon in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, stressing that "the file has been closed."
The Desert Warriors won 1-0 in Cameroon, but lost 2-1 after extending the second leg with a last-gasp goal from Karl-Toko Ekambi (120 + 4), after they scored a goal in the 118th minute that was enough to take them to the Qatar World Cup at the end of this year.
On March 31, the Algerian Federation announced that it had submitted an appeal to FIFA and requested a replay of the match due to the "scandalous arbitration" of Gambian referee Bakary Gassama.
But the FIFA Referees Committee rejected this request, according to a mail published on Saturday by the Algerian Federation.
The committee said: "We regret that, according to your assessment, the decisions of the referees may have a negative impact on the course of the match." All incidents that occurred during the match were carefully scrutinized by the VARs, in accordance with the Laws of the Game and the VAR Protocol.
The Algerian Football Federation denied rumors about the rejection of the International Federation (FIFA) of its grievance about the second leg of the decisive stage qualifying for the 2022 World Cup against Cameroon.
Algeria lodged a protest over an arbitrary injustice against Cameroon, and local reports stated that it wanted to replay the match after it failed to reach the finals, but FIFA decided to fine Algeria 3,000 francs for throwing bodies and setting off fireworks during the match that was held in Blida last March.
The Algerian Federation said in a statement on its Twitter account: FIFA has not yet decided on the complaint we filed regarding this match. The disciplinary offense related to incidents that occurred during the match between Algeria and Cameroon. We acknowledge these mistakes and hope that they will not be repeated and that we do not see such behavior in our stadiums. But our main request has not yet been decided upon and the file is still with the jury.
The Algerian Federation complained about arbitrary violations against the first team from Gambian referee Bakary Gassama in the return match that was held at Mustafa Chaker Stadium in Blida.
The Algerian Football Association asked FIFA to examine the complaint by the FIFA Arbitration Committee, adding that this request is supported by the fact that the file of the complaint submitted is based on arguments and technical considerations related to the arbitration, which requires study by a specialized structure.
In a separate statement, the Algerian Federation condemned the mockery of the Cameroonian media against Djamel Belmadi, the coach of the first team.
The federation hoped that wise people in the two countries and in Africa would intervene to return things to normal between Algeria and Cameroon after the crisis caused by the decisive confrontation that qualifies for the World Cup in Qatar.
Will the Algerians dream of qualifying for the World Cup still exist, and what are the justifications that FIFA will provide to public opinion in the event that Algeria qualifies and Cameroon is excluded, and what are the penalties that will be imposed on the referee Bakary Gassama?
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