In the round of 16, Jordan defeated 10-man Iraq 3-2 thanks to two goals in extra time.
February 1
The fallout from Iraq’s contentious Asian Cup exit has not abated, as evidenced by the more than 800,000 signatures on a Change.org petition calling for the suspension of match referee Alireza Faghani.
Iraqi forward Aymen Hussein had given his team the lead in the 76th minute when he ran to the corner flag and imitated the goal celebration of Jordan earlier in the game. Hussein was sent off with a second yellow card by Faghani, ending his game.
In actuality, the petition against the alleged injustice was started prior to the conclusion of the game two days ago.
Most spectators were perplexed by the card, and some claimed the ruling was incongruous with earlier choices made during the match. That choice undoubtedly changed the game.
After the match, enraged Iraqi reporters heckled Iraqi coach Jesus Casas as he was leaving the field. Casas claimed, “In any major tournament, players always celebrate scoring.” For this, the referee is unable to issue a red card. Jordan celebrated in the same manner as the rest of us, and no card was issued. We had made changes when the red card was given, therefore we were unable to make defensive substitutes at that time.
Faghani, who was born in Iran but serves as an official for Football Australia, has been subjected to a barrage of criticism on social media following the game.
Football Association of Australia released a statement in which they expressed their disgust at the mistreatment and announced plans to defend and assist their official.
Referee Faghani, one of Asia’s most renowned officials, presided over the opening game at Lusail Stadium between hosts Qatar and Lebanon.