Argentina vs France: Petition to Replay World Cup 2022 Final Speeds Up

• An online petition to have the World Cup final replayed is close to reaching 200,000 signatures
• The creators of the website are aggrieved by some decisions by Polish referee Szymon Marciniak
• France failed to defend their World Cup trophy after they were outsmarted in the penalty shootout despite a spirited comeback

The FIFA World Cup ended with a thrilling climax on December 18th when Argentina beat France on post-match penalties. France players have since sent out apology messages as Argentina players continue with passionate celebrations.

Both teams have returned home as players prepare to get back to their respective clubs with league action set to resume from next week.

But to some fans, it's not yet over. An online petition to have the final replayed is quickly gathering pace with close to 200,000 fans having signed the petition so far at the time of writing. The Mirror reports that French website Mesopinion are the generators of the petition.

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Referee was at fault

The website opines that the first two Argentina goals were not supposed to stand. Popular French publication L'Equipe handed over a scathing review of the Polish referee Szymon Marciniak.

The publication faulted the referee for awarding a soft penalty to Angel Di Maria who went down from a challenge by Ousmane Dembele. Marcus Thuram was later denied a penalty for more or less a similar foul.

The game was marked by Kylian Mbappe's heroics, but Argentina eventually prevailed on post-match penalty kicks.

Such petitions are yet to have a significant impact on football. Chelsea fans have in the past launched a petition to have Anthony Taylor barred from officiating their matches after a heated London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur.

Complaint about Martinez's conduct

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At the same time, France's football association has lodged a complaint with their Argentina counterparts, over extremely passionate celebrations after their World Cup win.

Argentina beat France in the Qatar World Cup final to win their first world cup trophy since 1986. Sports Brief has reported that zealous celebrations followed, with specific taunts aimed at Kylian Mbappe irking the France FA.

France's FA President, Noël Le Graët has written to the head of Argentina's FA, Claudio Tapia to complain about Emi Martinez's behaviour. Martinez has been spotted and filmed mocking the PSG forward in the course of La Albiceleste's celebrations. Le Graet has termed Martinez's celebrations as 'abnormal excesses'.