The knockout stages in Qatar have been hit by a number of officiating controversies, with England, Argentina and Portugal all making their dissatisfaction clear in crucial games.

On Wednesday night, Morocco were knocked out of the World Cup after being beaten 2-0 by France.

The Atlas Lions made clear their fury with Mexican referee Ramos after Soufiane Boufal was booked for tangling with Theo Hernandez in the French penalty area.

“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation strongly protests the officiating of the Moroccan national team match against the French national team, led by Cesar Arturo Ramos Palazuelos,” read a statement.

“The Royal Moroccan Football Federation affirms that it will not hesitate to defend the rights of our team, calling for fairness in taking the necessary measures regarding the refereeing injustice against the Moroccan national team in its match against the French national team, in the semi-final of the World Cup.”

Canadian official Drew Fischer was in charge of VAR and refused to overturn the yellow card by advising a penalty be given to Morocco. He was behind the controversial decision to award a penalty to Saudi Arabia against Poland earlier in the tournament.

Ramos, meanwhile, had previously overseen the African nation’s win over Belgium plus two other games in Qatar.

Speaking on BBC’s broadcast of the semi-final, former England captain Alan Shearer said: “Not [a penalty] for me, no. Hernandez actually gets the ball there.”

But Rio Ferdinand argued: “He does but... the other leg. I think anywhere else on the pitch and that's a foul. So why's it not a penalty?”