Faghani: Messi touched the ball in area in Club World Cup final
Tehran Times – TEHRAN, Iranian international referee, who was chosen to officiate 2015 FIFA Club World Cup final between Barcelona and River Plate, admitted that Lionel Messi touched the ball before scoring the first goal of the game.
“Refereeing mistake is when the referee sees the scene and then makes a wrong decision but I didn’t see Messi controlling the ball with his hand because I was behind him,” Faghani told in a TV program.
The 37-year old also revealed that he is a fan of Persepolis football team because of his father is the team’s fan.
“All of the people who are related to football in some ways were the fan of a team in their childhood. My father was a fan of Persepolis and I became a Persepolis fan because of him but after starting the refereeing career the teams and their color is no difference for me,” Faghani added.
“My goal is to referee the World Cup final and I will do my best to reach my goal,” he added.
Faghani who became a FIFA referee in 2008, has officiated notable international matches including 2015 AFC Asian Cup Final and 2015 FIFA Club World Cup Final.