The Grenadiers bow out, the refereeing is up for debate

Haiti’s defeat against Scotland (1-0) is still causing reactions. Several disputed referee decisions are at the center of discussions after the match.

The Grenadiers’ entry into the 2026 World Cup ended with a narrow defeat against Scotland (1-0). But after the final whistle, it was mostly certain refereeing decisions that caught people’s attention. Several observers and international media believe that the Haitian team wasn’t given favorable calls at crucial moments in the match. At the center of the debate is Algerian referee Mustapha Ghorbal. At 41, he was officiating his third match in a World Cup finals, having already handled games at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Two plays in particular are fueling the controversy. The first happens in the 79th minute when a shot from Jean-Ricner Bellegarde seems to hit the hand of Scottish defender Grant Hanley inside the penalty area. The play went by smoothly, and the game continued without any video assistance intervention. The second occurs in stoppage time when Kenny McLean is given a yellow card for a challenge deemed dangerous on Josué Casimir. Some analysts think this foul could have been punished more severely.Even though that last play didn’t directly affect the outcome, the situation with Hanley’s alleged hand leaves many Haitian fans feeling regretful. A different call might have given the Grenadiers a chance to tie in the final minutes. Despite their frustration, the Haitian players stayed relatively calm on the field, even though this type of decision often leads to heated disputes with the refereesThe reactions aren’t limited to Haiti. Several foreign media outlets also highlighted the controversial situations observed during the match. So Foot in particular wondered about a possible disadvantage suffered by the Grenadiers, pointing out a penalty that wasn’t given and a foul considered dangerous..