April 01, (THEWILL) – The Algerian Football Federation (FAF), has requested a replay of the second leg of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs against Cameroon, citing “serious mistakes” by the referee.
On March 31, the FAF filed a complaint with FIFA against Bakary Gassama, the Algeria versus Cameroon referee.
The Algerian statement argued that the Gambian referee made the sort of serious mistakes that affected the final outcome of the reverse fixture, as a result “the FAF demands that FIFA open an investigation into the Algeria-Cameroon game officiating mistakes.”
The FAF also claimed that the referee’s decision to disallow Algeria’s first goal changed the game and, as a result, the team’s chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, which will be contested in Qatar later this year.
THEWILL recalls that Algeria lost to Cameroon at the Mustapha Tchaker Stadium in Blida on Tuesday, effectively sealing their desire to be one of the five African countries to represent the continent’s World Cup aspirations in Qatar.
Cameroon won the nerve-wracking encounter thanks to a last-minute goal. Much like in the case of Nigeria, the result saw Algerian fans erupt in rage at their team’s failure to qualify, causing chaos and smashing seats at Mustapha Tchaker Stadium.
Footage quickly spread on social media channels showing the vandalisation at the stadium that hosted the tense African qualification game, with dissatisfied Algerian fans venting their frustrations with the final result on the stadium’s facilities.
Many Algerian supporters rushed to social media to demand a replay in protest of what they believed to be the referee’s “unfair decisions,” while others chose to blame the FAF officials, calling for a collective resignation.
As a result of the disappointment in qualifying, Charaf-Eddine Amara, the President of the Algerian Football Federation, has decided to quit.
It is unclear if FIFA will act on the complaint and there has been no word yet on the issue from the Confederation of African Football at the moment.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
