The France Football Federation has asked FIFA for an explanation after Antoine Griezmann's goal against Tunisia was disallowed in a manner they deem as illegitimate. The 31-year-old thought he had equalised for Les Bleus but saw his goal being chalked off despite their opponents restarting the game from the center.
In what has now become a classic match for the archives of the FIFA World Cup, Tunisia rose against all odds to defeat France in their final group game of the campaign. The North Africans massively impressed against a second-string French side and were duly rewarded when skipper Wahbi Khazri broke the deadlock inside the 58th minute.
Not long after the opening goal, Didier Deschamps called on his most trusted men to deliver France from their first World Cup defeat in six games, introducing the likes of Adrien Rabiot, Kylian Mbappe, William Saliba and Ousmane Dembele into the fray. Right at the end of the 10 minutes of additional time, France appeared to even up the score when Griezmann found the back of the net. However, a check by the Video Assistant Referee ruled the goal for offside.
After a VAR check, Griezmann's goal does not stand for France pic.twitter.com/ksmKJ0t7i6
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) November 30, 2022
The decision subsequently sparked confusion among the France bench and onlookers as it was surprisingly taken after the final whistle and after Tunisia had already restarted the game from the center. Per the rule book of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), a recommendation by VAR for a goal to be overturn cannot be made if play has resumed.
As a result, the FFF have officially filed a complaint with FIFA, asking for clarification to be provided on the decision. Needless to say, the outcome of the inquiry is not expected to change the state of affairs as France finished as winners of Group D and will face Poland in the Round of 16. On the contrary, Tunisia finished in third place and have been eliminated following Australia's shock 1-0 win over Denmark.
