Noakhali youth lodges complaint with police alleging bias by FIFA president and match referee

A young man from Noakhali submitted a written complaint to Sudharam model police station accusing the FIFA President and the referee of a FIFA World Cup match of bias.

Alleging that the match involved premeditated manipulation and had played with the emotions of millions of football fans, he also demanded Tk 50 million in compensation.

The complainant, Mohammad Rakib, 22, is a resident of Mandartali village in Sadar upazila. He went to the police station with the written complaint on Wednesday night. However, police said they had no legal jurisdiction over the matter.

In his complaint, Rakib stated that on Tuesday night he watched the FIFA World Cup match between Argentina and Egypt on a giant screen at the local Karmulya Bazar, along with many other spectators.

He alleged that the referee had deliberately favoured one team, causing his favourite side, Egypt, to lose the match. He named Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, match referee Francois Letexier, and 15 to 20 other individuals as the accused.

Rakib alleged that the match officials influenced the result by awarding an unfair penalty, disallowing a legitimate goal and making biased decisions against Egypt's players and coaching staff.

He claimed that these actions caused severe mental distress to him and other Egypt supporters. He demanded Tk 50 million in compensation from FIFA and called for legal action against those accused under international law.

Mohammad Kamrul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sudharam model police station, told Prothom Alo, “It is true that the young man came to the police station with the complaint. However, the local police station has no legal jurisdiction over this type of matter. We explained the legal position to the complainant and advised him that, if necessary, he could seek redress through an international court.”

Speaking to Prothom Alo on Thursday morning, Mohammad Rakib said, “Since watching the football match between Argentina and Egypt, both I and the witnesses to my complaint have been deeply distressed. This injustice should be addressed. The police did not accept my complaint as a case. Therefore, I will take the same complaint to court. If necessary, I will also organise a human chain and other protest programmes.”