Palestine FA makes complaint as penalty ends World Cup dream
The Palestine Football Association (PFA) has made an official complaint to world football's governing body Fifa and the Asian Football Confederation after a controversial late penalty ended their hopes of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.With Palestine leading 1-0 in Tuesday's tie, Iranian referee Mooud Bonyadifard gave Oman a penalty in the seventh minute of injury time. Issam Al Sabhi converted from the spot to make it 1-1, a result that sent Oman into the next phase and knocked Palestine out of contention.A statement from the PFA said: "Following a thorough review of the official match footage, and various replays shared across media platforms and social networks, it has become evident the penalty decision lacked the necessary refereeing criteria and did not meet the technical standards required to justify such a call. "This decision was clearly unfair to our national team."The complaint calls for a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding this incident and a review of all related refereeing procedures. This step aims to uphold sporting justice and ensure the integrity of international competition."Neither Palestine nor Oman have ever qualified for a World Cup, with Oman still hopeful of being one of 48 countries to play in the 2026 tournament, which is being held in Canada, the United States and Mexico.Oman will now play in a three-nation group in October, facing two of Indonesia, Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and will qualify if they win their section.
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