France's Ibrahima Konate (center) falls after colliding with Morocco's Selim Amallah in an attempt to score during the World Cup semifinal soccer match between France and Morocco at the Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on Dec 14, 2022. (THANASSIS STAVRAKIS / AP）

RABAT - The Royal Moroccan Football Federation has protested to FIFA over the performance of the Mexican referee, Cesar Arturo Ramos Palazuelos, during Wednesday's World Cup semifinal between Morocco and France.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation is unhappy that the referee didn't award a penalty in the first half to the Atlas Lions when Theo Hernandez made contact with Sofiane Boufal in the area

The FRMF said that Palazuelos deprived the Moroccan team of two obvious penalties, expressing at the same time its astonishment that the VAR room failed to alert him.

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The federation will spare no effort to defend the rights of its national team, it said in a statement on Thursday.

It also urged the FIFA to take fair measures against the arbitral injustice practiced against the Moroccan team in its World Cup semifinal match against the French team.

Morocco lost 2-0, as Theo Hernandez scored at the fifth minute, and Randal Kolo Muani at the 79th.

The FRMF is unhappy that the referee didn't award a penalty in the first half to the Atlas Lions when Theo Hernandez made contact with Sofiane Boufal in the area.

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Instead of awarding a spot-kick, Boufal got a yellow card.

The FRMF was also unhappy about the referee's and the VAR silence, when Selim Amallah was hauled down as he awaited the delivery of a set-piece.

France will play Argentina in Sunday's World Cup final, and Morocco take on Croatia in Saturday's third-place play-off.