The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has escalated its concerns to FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation following a contentious penalty decision that dashed their dreams of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. The critical moment occurred during a match against Oman, where a late penalty awarded in the 97th minute by Iranian referee Mooud Bonyadifard led to a 1-1 draw, favoring Oman and eliminating Palestine from the competition.

Key Points of the Complaint:

• Unjust Penalty Decision: The PFA asserts that the penalty lacked the necessary refereeing criteria and did not meet the technical standards required for such a call.
• Call for Investigation: The association demands a thorough investigation into the incident and a review of related refereeing procedures to ensure fairness and integrity in international competitions.

Impact on the Teams:

• Palestine: This marks another missed opportunity for Palestine to make their World Cup debut.
• Oman: Oman advances to the next phase of qualifiers, keeping their hopes alive for their first World Cup appearance.

Next Steps for Oman: Oman will compete in a three-nation group in October, facing teams like Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Success in this group could secure their spot in the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted across Canada, the United States, and Mexico.

Related Topics:

• FIFA World Cup
• Australia, Brazil & Ecuador qualify for World Cup - who else is through?

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