Argentina legend Diego Maradona has launched a scathing attack against FIFA and American referee Mark Geiger after Colombia were knocked out the 2018 FIFA World Cup by England.
England progressed to the quarter-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, winning on penalties after the game finished 1-1 after extra time.
However, Maradona claims the South Americans can feel hard done by after the alleged questionable officiating by Geiger.
“I saw a monumental theft. I apologise to all the Colombian people, but they must know the players are not to blame,” he said, as quoted by the Daily Mail.
“It is the man who decides who the referee is who is to blame. A man like that (Geiger) should not be put in charge of a game of that magnitude.
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“With all due respect, Pierluigi Collina, as the man who designates the referees, he is very bad. He must apologise to the Colombian people.’
The 1986 World Cup winner went on to state he’d improve FIFA if he were involved in the governing body while slandering Geiger further based on his nationality.
“I told (FIFA president) Gianni Infantino that if I worked for FIFA I would change everything,” Maradona said. “It has to be transparent. That’s why I didn’t go there.
“The referee will know a lot about baseball, but he has no idea about football. The Colombian players asked for VAR and he did not give it to them.
“Twice the English threw themselves to the ground and he did not admonish them. This was theft.”
