A Colombian law student, Juan Diego García, believes his team lost due to major injustices during the Round of 16 match against England.
One of them was the wrongfully awarded penalty to England based on a "non-existent" foul, according to Garcia. Another one was the referee's decision not to uphold Carlos Bacca's "legitimate" goal.
The petition has now gathered over 280,000 signatures, with Garcia demanding FIFA look into the wrongdoing.
„@FIFAcom Revisión del partido de octavos de final Colombia VS Inglaterra Mundial Rusia 2018” — Jetzt unterschreiben! https://t.co/ql8jRvxkt1 via @Change
— Sebastian (@SebaAufd) July 6, 2018
Following the game, Colombia captain Radamel Falcao also criticized American referee Mark Geiger for a "certain bias" towards England.
Reactions to the petition varied on social media, with some showing support for the Colombian plea and many stressing the match result was fair.
— David Joseph (@David_J_Joseph) July 5, 2018
— Rob 'Torture' Wright (@RobTorture) July 5, 2018
— Jenno (@JennoMP) July 6, 2018
— Lee Whitcher (@Whitchdoc87) July 6, 2018
>200,000 people vs FIFA pic.twitter.com/Z5Ji3LGjhz
— Ed Crane (@edjcrane1986) July 5, 2018
— Antony & my son luke. (@kippaxmcfc1) July 5, 2018
Referee Mark Geiger found himself in the middle of a World Cup controversy yet again, after he was accused by Moroccan player Nordin Amrabat of asking Cristiano Ronaldo for his shirt as a souvenir. Geiger refereed the Portugal vs Morocco game on June 20. FIFA condemned the allegations and said Geiger "strongly refutes" the claims.
READ MORE: World Cup Referees: Their Names, VAR Training and On-Field Drama
The England vs Colombia match ended 4-3 following a dramatic penalty shooutout won by the English squad. The defeat sent the Colombian team packing, while England moved on to the quarter-finals.
