Mourad Aliev did not want to leave the ring.
The boxer sat on the edge for 45 minutes after his fight.
The only Frenchman still competing in the tournament in Tokyo, he was eliminated on disqualification from the referee in the + 91 kg category against the Briton Frazer Clarke.
"It's unfair, everyone saw that I won," protested Mourad Aliev, still in the ring, when the referee had just informed him of his disqualification for a head butt to his opponent.
Incredulous and angry, Mourad Aliev, who seemed to dominate the fight after a given first round winning 3 judges to 2, then turned in circles in the ring, going to see his opponent to say "I won".
During the fight, Frazer Clarke had to be treated twice by the left browbone, and it was after the second treatment that the referee, grouping the boxers, announced his decision.
🇫🇷😡 The great anger of Mourad Aliev after his disqualification because of several head shots to his opponent according to the referee.
🥊 The last chance for a medal for the tricolor clan has just taken off # Tokyo2020
Follow the Olympics live ▶ https: //t.co/FQNUDtiQca pic.twitter.com/X9UH1CciOb
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) August 1, 2021
"I am suffering an injustice"
After the officialization of the result by the speaker, the Frenchman then made the sign "no" with his fingers in front of the cameras.
Questioned on the antenna of France TV, Mourad Aliev then returned on this decision which he considers as "a scandal".
"I have always fought against injustices and there, today, I suffer an injustice. All my coaches, all my supporters, all those who saw the fight saw that I won, that I made myself to steal. Really, it is a theft, "he said, not hiding his immense anger.
According to John Dovi, general manager of the France Boxing team, the judges admitted they were wrong. "They attest that there is a refereeing error in the ring. They have reviewed the fight several times. We do not see any error on the part of Mourad, but we can not do anything because the rules state that we can't change the decision, ”he explained. "We tried to do a sitting because we can not stay like that. Mourad is our last representative in addition after everything that has happened during this fortnight," he added.
🥊🇫🇷 French boxer Mourad Aliev was disqualified because of several head butts to his opponent.
an unfair decision according to the French fighter.
Find his reaction and his anger ⬇ #Olympic
Games Follow the Olympics live ▶ https://t.co/FQNUDtiQca pic.twitter.com/k63NjpCYMD
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) August 1, 2021
The Blues have indeed once again been cursed during these Games. While boxing had won six medals in Rio, it achieved a zero point in Tokyo. Several team members complained about the refereeing. Billal Bennama was beaten on Saturday by the Kazakh left-hander Saken Bibossinov on points (29-28 for the five judges) in the round of 16 of -52 kg. This decision made him fulminate. "The Kazakh has made his fight, congratulations to him, but he does not deserve the victory", he reacted as reported by the newspaper L'Équipe.
The same day, his teammate Sofiane Oumiha, Olympic vice-champion of -63 kg, was also eliminated from his start, by stop of the referee who considered that he was no longer able to continue the fight. According to Olympic champion Brahim Asloum, consultant for France TV, this arbitration is incomprehensible because the Frenchman was quite lucid: "He should have asked Sofiane to step aside, or move forward, to see if he was lucid. [...] It's hard, it's too fast, premature, unfair.
🥊 Another contentious decision in boxing Sofiane Oumiha 🇫🇷 stopped in the round of 16 against the American Keyshawn Davis.
Brahim Asloum can't believe it # Tokyo2020 #JeuxOlympiques
Follow the Olympics live ▶ https: //t.co/Tki3Gsq4BI pic.twitter.com/aM5kMOFYfJ
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) July 31, 2021
The tears of Alexis Vastine
This is not the first time that Olympic boxing refereeing has been controversial. The most striking example remains that of Alexis Vastine whose tears had marked France. In 2008 in Beijing, the young boxer was eliminated in the semi-finals after a controversial arbitration decision. He led the fight on points against the Dominican Felix Diaz until the end of the third round (9 to 6). His opponent then launched into a frantic pressing. The referee had sanctioned the French for the first time, causing him to lose two points, then nineteen seconds from the end, a second time, accusing him of hanging on too much. Alexis Vastine had finally bowed 10 to 12. Kneeling in the ring, in tears at the end of the fight, the Norman had shouted: "They do not have the right, they do nothave no right to do that! ".
Four years later, the curse had once again befallen the champion in London.
He had lost his quarter-final against the Ukrainian Taras Shelestiuk, world champion in 2011, by decision of the judges (18-18 after the three rounds).
Even his opponent seemed surprised, so much the last recovery had appeared to the advantage of the French.
Very angry just after the final decision, Alexis Vastine had struck his bare fist in one of the corners of the ring.
He will disappear three years later in a helicopter crash during a TV show.
Big thought for this guy,
Alexis Vastine ❤ # JORio2016 # JO2016 #jeuxolympiques pic.twitter.com/nz7C6i9y9L
- TikiTaka⚽ (@DamienRoperch) August 6, 2016
Exclusion from the international boxing federation
At the time, other delegations criticized this arbitration.
In the category of less than 56 kg, the Japanese Satoshi Shimizu had also experienced it, recalls the France Info site.
Opposed to Azerbaijani Magomed Abdulhamidov in the round of 16, he sent his opponent down six times in the third round.
Despite his domination, the judges had designated his opponent winner of the fight (22-17).
Some had then pointed to cases of corruption.
After years of governance scandals and suspicion of match-fixing, the International Boxing Federation (AIBA, International Amateur Boxing Association) was kicked out of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) two years ago.
As Euronews explains, the new president, the Russian Umar Kremlev, then said he wanted to clean up: "What is important for us is to turn the page on all the problems that the federation has been facing. We must list everyone who has been corrupted and ensure that they are excluded from the boxing world in the future. "
Richard McLaren, the Canadian lawyer who investigated doping in Russia, was recruited to investigate past mismanagement within the federation. "Boxing has a long history of questionable activities," a- he insisted last June in a press release announcing his mission for AIBA. "There have been multiple investigations into the sport in the past which have not been completed or acted upon. (...) Our team will conduct an independent investigation into the issues surrounding corruption or manipulation of sports results during the Rio Olympics, will identify those responsible and recommend the appropriate course of action. "
Due to the exclusion of AIBA by the IOC, the international federation did not organize the tournament in Tokyo and yet the controversies are still present.
Like Alexis Vastine in his time, Mourad Aliev leaves Japan angry and with a lot of bitterness: "They free me from the ring. They tell me you're losing. Ciao, go back to your room, go wash yourself, do your business and go home. . I come home empty-handed when I could at least have brought home a bronze medal. "
The summary of the week
France 24 invites you to come back to the news that marked the week
I subscribe
Take international news everywhere with you!
Download the France 24 application
google-play-badge_FR