World football governing body Fifa has written to the Algerian Football Federation over their protest about he officiating of a world cup playoff against Cameroon. The match was officiated by Gambian referee Bakary Papa Gassama and ended with the elimination of Algeria. However, the North Africans have waged a massive international campaign disrupting the integrity of the top African referee, including complaining to Fifa.
Over the weekend, Fifa reportedly wrote back the Algerian FA with the following message:
“We regret that, according to your opinion, the decisions of the referees could have negatively influenced the course of the match. We have taken good note of the elements of your mail, and we can already guarantee you that all the incidents that occurred during the match were carefully examined by the two video referees, in accordance with the laws of the game, and the protocol of video assistance to refereeing”.
Meanwhile when this information was relayed to the Algerian Football Federation, some Algerians think their complaint to Fifa is over but some others are still hanging on to a thin dream and unrealistic hope that Fifa will call a rematch.
