An Egypt football supporter in Noakhali has sought to file a complaint to the local police station against FIFA President Gianni Infantino and referee François Letexier, accusing them of bias during the World Cup Round of 16 match between Egypt and defending champions Argentina.
The 22-year-old Md. Rakib submitted the application to Sudharam Model Police Station on Wednesday, demanding Tk 5 crore in compensation for betrayal and fraudulence, and calling for the removal of Infantino and Letexier from FIFA.
The application demanded the same action against 15 to 20 more unnamed officials.
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sudharam Model Police Station Mohammad Kamrul Islam confirmed the incident, saying his station has no legal jurisdiction to take action against FIFA or over matters related to an international football match.
“We explained this to the complainant and advised him that, if he wishes, he may seek legal remedies through the appropriate international courts”, Kamrul told Daily Waadaa.
According to the complaint, Rakib and several witnesses were watching a World Cup football match between Argentina and Egypt on a giant screen at Karamullah Bazar on Tuesday night. He alleged that the referee deliberately made biased decisions in favour of Argentina, resulting in Egypt's defeat.
Rakib claimed that an unjustified penalty was awarded during the match and that a legitimate Egyptian goal was wrongly disallowed. He also alleged that unfair decisions against Egypt's players and coach influenced the outcome of the match.
In the complaint, Rakib alleged that the FIFA president and other officials acted with bias and deception in relation to the international fixture, hurting the emotions of millions of Egyptian supporters.
He also claimed this alleged bias has caused severe mental distress to him and other Egypt supporters, which could lead to acts like ‘suicide’.
Argentina on Tuesday rattled off three goals between the 79th minute and second minute of second-half stoppage time to beat Egypt 3-2 and book a place in the quarterfinals.