FIFA Rejects Call to Exclude France from Futsal World Cup Amid Controversy

Qualified for the round of 16 of the Futsal World Cup, France and Iran faced each other on Sunday as part of the last day of the group stage. A match that ended in an Iranian victory (1-4), finishing second in Group F.

The confrontation sparked a strong controversy from the Thai team, who will face the Blues this Friday in the round of 16 of the tournament. "You are a global disgrace. Iran and France have dishonored our sport," fumed Miguel Rodrigo, the coach of the Thai team, in a post on X, accompanied by the video of the first Iranian goal scored by Salar Aghapour, in which the French goalkeeper, Thibaut Garros, seems to have deliberately let the ball enter.

Did France deliberately lose to Iran to avoid a confrontation with the formidable Moroccan team in the round of 16? Mystery. But one thing is certain, the requests from Paraguay, who could meet France in the quarterfinals, and Libya, eliminated in the group stage, asking FIFA to exclude the Blues and the Iranian team from the tournament, have not been successful, informs RMC Sport.

As a result, both France and Iran are continuing the competition. The Blues will cross swords with the Thai team this Friday in the round of 16. "We have not violated any rules. We are at work to prepare for this round of 16, the most exciting match in our history," say the Blues. Iran, for its part, has filed a complaint for defamation against the Spanish coach of Thailand.