Moroccan Football Chief Still Bitter Over 2022 World Cup Semi-Final Loss

Fouzi Lekjaa has not forgotten the bitter defeat of Morocco against France (2-0) in the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup after their incredible and historic run - the first African country to reach the last four of a World Cup. Two years later, he returns to the subject during an interview devoted to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN Maroc) and the World Cup that the kingdom will co-host in 2030 with Spain and Portugal, and points to the refereeing of the match. "Winning the World Cup? We told ourselves that we have to remove this barrier and move on to the next stage. We did it. We lost against France with a small detail, especially the refereeing. We won’t wait until 2030, we can do it in 2026, why not?" said the boss of Moroccan football.

During this semi-final against France, the Atlas Lions could have obtained two penalties. the Blues had committed two potential fouls in the penalty area. But neither the Mexican referee César Arturo Ramos, nor the VAR, reported anything, which had caused the incomprehension and the anger of the Moroccans. "They come to give us meetings before the big competitions about refereeing, about this, about that, but at some point, we have to stop taking people for fools. Because it can change the course of a match, after all, it’s not just that..." had flared up the then captain Romain Saïss. Dissatisfied, the FRMF had filed an official complaint with FIFA.