The arbitration worries the supporters of the "Atlas Lions."

The upcoming match between Morocco and France in the quarter-finals of the World Cup carries "bad refereeing memories." Moroccan fans are concerned about the possibility of this scenario repeating itself, which weakened the national team's chances in the "Qatar World Cup."

Immediately after France's victory over Paraguay and the confirmation of the match against Morocco, Moroccan social media posts began to reference what happened in Qatar, where Moroccan players demanded a penalty in the 27th minute after a collision between Sofiane Boufal and Theo Hernandez inside the French penalty area. However, Mexican referee Cesar Ramos awarded a foul in favor of France and issued a yellow card to Boufal for committing the foul, a decision that sparked significant objections.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation also considered that the national team was deprived of two penalty kicks during the match and announced the next day that it had filed an official protest to FIFA, confirming that the referee's decisions and the absence of VAR intervention harmed the rights of the Moroccan team.

Mahdi Ahjib, a sports journalist, stated that "in such major matches where attention is focused on the smallest details, refereeing becomes a crucial element in ensuring the integrity of the competition and protecting the principle of equal opportunities; therefore, a match of this magnitude requires the appointment of a refereeing team that possesses competence, experience, and a strong character, capable of managing the game with complete neutrality, so that the outcome is determined solely on the field."

Ahjib added to Hespress that the fans of both teams are looking forward to a match decided by the players' abilities and the coaches' choices, not by controversial refereeing decisions, while providing all guarantees that enhance confidence in the integrity of the refereeing, which serves the interests of the tournament and the image of global football, and avoids any discussions that might overshadow the sporting value of the encounter. He continued: "If the French president's attendance at the match is confirmed, it will add a political and symbolic dimension to it alongside its sporting value, which necessitates doubling the efforts to ensure all guarantees of integrity and neutrality in its management; major matches should be decided on the green rectangle, away from any pressures or considerations outside the sporting framework."

Abdelhak Asrahane, a sports journalist, said that "the fears of Moroccans regarding the appointment of a non-neutral referee for the upcoming match are logical and natural," pointing out that fans experienced a previous incident in the Qatar World Cup when the referee overlooked a clear penalty for player Sofiane Boufal after he was fouled inside the penalty area, a moment that could have changed the course of the match against the French team.