Anger over Futsal World Cup: French are accused of match-fixing to get an easier path to the knockout round

September 26 – Controversy erupted at the Futsal World Cup when coaches raised allegations of match-fixing following France's heavy defeat to Iran.

Opponents complained about the manner of the French performance in the 4-1 defeat, a result that might have allowed an easier passage through the tournament for The Blues in Uzbekistan.

After a lifeless first half, Iran won comfortably after France conceded an easy goal in the second half, sparking angry reactions from the other teams, some of whom lodged complaints with FIFA.

“FIFA is aware of the complaints received from the participating teams of the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 regarding the Group F match between France and IR Iran,” a FIFA spokesperson was quoted as saying. “No further comment will be made while this process is ongoing.”

Both teams had already qualified for the round of 16, but the result means France will face Thailand before a possible quarter-final against Paraguay, while Iran will face Morocco before a possible quarter-final clash with world number one Brazil.

“Iran and France, coaches and players alike, have brought shame to my sport. They are a disgrace to the world,” wrote Thailand coach Miguel Rodrigo on X.

Former Brazilian football star Falcao was quoted by French media as saying: “This shows a lack of respect for the World Cup. The game was clearly rigged from the first minute.”

Libya's coach Ricardo Iñiguez, whose team was eliminated in the group stage, also wrote in a post on X that the game was a “disgrace” for the sport. “Libya will file an official complaint.”

But French coach Raphaël Reynaud said the game was about avoiding bookings and injuries.

“It was Iran's responsibility to control the game,” he said. “For us, the draw is more open, but our main goal was to avoid yellow cards and injuries.”

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