France is at the center of controversy after coaches of various national teams accused the French of match-fixing following a heavy defeat against Iran in a group stage match at the World Cup in Uzbekistan. France went down 4-1 to Iran in their match last week. A post on X by Ricardo Iñiguez, the head coach of Libya, who were eliminated from the competition at the group stage, said the match had been a &disgrace& for the sport.Libya is going to file an official complaint in relation to this match for ‘match fixing&, it is a disgrace for our sport,& Iñiguez wrote, before going on to share criticism from other figures within the sport.The Guardian reported that FIFA is looking into claims of &match manipulation& and breaches of ''the spirit of the game&, rather than match fixing.Social media posts by fans during the match also highlighted the lackluster performance by France. In another X post, the Thailand coach, Miguel Rodrigo, said his team were waiting to take on the French &with open arms&, but also it was a &a world disgrace& and that they had &dishonoured my sport&.Video footage shared by Rodrigo appears to show French goalkeeper Thibaut Garros moving away from the ball in the buildup to Iran's opening goal.
The French went on to record only six shots on goal over the course of the entire match, scoring a consolation after Iran had eased to a 4-0 lead.In a statement, Fifa said it was &aware of complaints filed by participating teams at the Futsal World Cup regarding the Group F match between France and Iran& but that &no further comment will be made while this process is ongoing&.The post France accused of ‘match-fixing& over dismal performance against Iran at Futsal World Cup first appeared on Ariana News.