'Argentina awarded penalty unfairly': Soccer fans demand replay of FIFA World Cup final
Around two lakh fans have handed a petition to FIFA demanding a replay of the 2022 World Cup final, where Argentina won 4-2 on penalties against France.
A MesOpinions user has said that he believes there was an unfair award of Argentina's penalty, adding that French star Kylian Mbappe was also fouled in the lead-up to Di Maria’s goal, reports The Indian Express.
The replay petition written to FIFA reads: “The arbitration was totally sold, there was never a penalty + fault on MBAPPE on the 2nd goal!!!”
Argentina opened the scoring with Lionel Messi's penalty in the 22nd minute in the final on Sunday. The lead was doubled by Angel Di Maria before halftime.
The second half, however, witnessed a twist, as Mbappe struck two back-to-back goals with a gap of a minute, in the 80th and 81st minutes, France thus equaling Argentina.
With the game extending to extra time, the drama continued. Although Messi's goal at the 108th minute gave Argentina the lead again, Mbappe took barely 10 minutes to ensure France again equalled Argentina with a hat trick in the World Cup final.
Messi won the first World Cup of his illustrious career, while it was the third World Cup for Argentina.
Mbappe has won the golden boot, having scored eight goals in the tournament.
Emiliano Martinez, who played a key role in Argentina's win in the penalties in the final and also in the win against Netherlands in the quarterfinal, won the golden glove.
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Explosive device kills 13, injures 38 on bus in southwestern Colombia as violence persists
Bogota (Colombia) (PTI): An explosive device killed 13 people travelling on a bus in southwestern Colombia on Saturday, an attack the country's army chief described as a “terrorist act" that also left at least 38 injured as violence linked to drug trafficking in the region escalates.
Octavio Guzman, the governor of the region of Cauca, said on X that the device was set off while the bus was travelling along the Panamerican Highway in the municipality of Cajibio. Five children were among the injured, Cauca Health Secretary Carolina Camargo told Noticias Caracol, a TV news program.
Gen. Hugo Lopez, commander of Colombia's Armed Forces, told a news conference that it was a “terrorist act" and blamed the network of a man known as “Ivan Mordisco” — one of Colombia's most wanted figures — and the Jaime Martínez faction. Both are dissidents of the now-defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia that operate in the region.
Neither Ivan Mordisco nor the Jaime Martínez faction abide by the peace agreement signed with the state in 2016.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro condemned the attack on X.
“Those who carried out the attack and killed seven civilians — and wounded 17 others — in Cajibío — many of them Indigenous people — are terrorists, fascists, and drug traffickers,” he wrote.
The attack is the latest in a spate of explosions that have attempted to target public infrastructure. At least 26 incidents have taken place in the past two days in southwestern Colombia, which Lopez said have only affected civilians.
They included a shooting at a police station in the rural area of Jamundi, and an attack on a Civil Aviation radar facility in El Tambo, where authorities took down three explosives-laden drones earlier on Saturday. No one was hurt.
On Friday, two vehicles rigged with explosives were detonated near military units in Cali and Palmira, causing material damage.
The escalation of violence in that region — a territory contested by illegal armed groups linked to drug trafficking — prompted the mobilisation of high-ranking officials on Saturday. Led by Defence Minister Pedro Sanchez, the delegation that includes regional governors and local authorities, was meeting in Palmira when the deadly explosion occurred.
“These criminals seek to instil fear, but we will respond with firmness,” Sanchez said on X.
Meanwhile, Francisca Toro, governor of Valle del Cauca, has called upon the national government to provide “immediate support.” In a message on X, Toro called for a reinforcement of public security forces, enhanced intelligence operations and “decisive actions” against crime in the face of a “terrorist-level escalation.”
According to authorities, Cauca and Valle del Cauca serve as a critical hub for illicit activities of illegal armed groups vying for control over sea and river access routes leading to the port of Buenaventura — a key transit point used to traffic drugs to Central America and Europe.
The government has also offered a reward of more than 1 million dollars for information leading to the capture of “Marlon,” who is identified as the leader of the region's dissident group. On Friday, local authorities offered more than USD 14,000 for information leading to the identification and location of those behind the attacks in Cali and Palmira.
