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Nepali Taekwondo referee Dipendra Dhakal has been promoted to the second class international referee in the Kyorugi category. The referee committee of the World Taekwondo promoted Dhakal. He is the Tribhuvan Army Club referee.   It took him four years to get the promotion. Dhakal has moved up a level based on the points he got for participating in the taekwondo ranking competition and refresher course. At least eight points is required to move from the third level to the second level. Dhakal participated in eight World ranking competitions and two refresher courses and scored 10 points. He had obtained the referee license from the 104th international taekwondo referee seminar in China. Dhakal was declared as the West Judge in the Royal Spanish International Open Taekwondo Tournament 2022.

Luka Modric high-fived and embraced his Croatia teammates after what was likely the midfield great’s last appearance at the World Cup.

Some of the Morocco players sank to their knees in dismay, while others went in search of the referee to complain.

So much for this being a meaningless game.

Croatia ended up taking third place at the World Cup after a 2-1 win over Morocco at Khalifa International Stadium on Saturday, Associated Press reported.

“It is as if we have won the gold,” said Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić, whose team lost in the final four years ago.

To some, the third-place match is considered to be little more than an exhibition between two losing semifinalists. The day before the match, Morocco coach Walid Regragui described it as a “booby prize.”

However, as the final whistle blew on Morocco’s historic run at the World Cup, the disappointment was clear to see.

So, too, was the delight on Croatian faces.

Crowds in Paris and other French cities erupted in shouts of joy as France advanced to the World Cup final Wednesday, while disappointed Morocco fans mingled with the exuberant supporters of the winning team, paying tribute to the African country’s unprecedented achievement, Associated Press reported.

Football fans streamed to the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris, shooting off firecrackers and red flares, to an unending chorus of honking cars.

On the famous avenue, many were brandishing French flags and singing “we are in the final.”

Some Moroccan fans, wrapped in the North African country’s flag, also cheered their team in the streets of the French capital.

France beat Morocco 2-0 to reach the World Cup final against Argentina, in a historic match between the defending champion and Africa’s first ever semifinalist.

Supporters from both teams gathered in bars from the boulevards of Paris to the streets of Morocco’s capital Rabat, from the cosmopolitan French Riviera city of Nice to the historic Moroccan city of Marrakech.

Celebrating the victory near the Bastille square, in central Paris, Adrien Vignau, a 22-year-old Parisian, praised a “great victory for France” and said he was looking forward to the final against Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi. “Bravo to Moroccans,” said Parisian Corentin Voiseux. “Tonight it’s not only France that wins but all of the French-speaking people. ... We are together and Moroccans will be with us at the final,” he added.

In central Madrid, fans celebrated on Sol Square after the match, some with red Moroccan flags draped on their shoulders, jumping up and down, and some wearing the French tricolor.

In Belgium, scuffles briefly broke out in Brussels after the game and authorities countered with water cannon and teargas after they were targeted. One and a half hours later, a tense calm had returned. Media reports spoke of 40 detentions. There also was some unrest in northern Antwerp, according to Associated Press.

In Paris, riot police vans lined the broad thoroughfare and the base of the imposing Arc de Triomphe, and white-helmeted officers roamed the crowd on the Champs-Elysees. Minor incidents briefly broke out, leading officers to occasionally use teargas to move the crowd away.

Despite their sadness, Moroccan fans expressed pride in their team, highlighting the history-making moment this game represented.

A Rabat resident, Fatima Zahra Attaq said that she was “a bit sad, but this is football. ... After all, they gave their best and made us proud to reach this stage of the competition.”

“The national team made us dream,” said Reda Hakam, also working in Rabat. “The dream is now over. I am not sad. I am actually very proud.”

Kenza El Amrani said that “I think Moroccans should wipe the tears off their faces and cheer for this team.”

Those who attended the game in Qatar also paid tribute to the performance and fighting spirit of the African team.

“Morocco played with their hearts,” said Ayaz Dhrolia, a fan from Canada whose face was painted in Morocco colors as he left Doha’s Al Bayt Stadium. “They won the hearts of millions and millions of people around the world, well appreciated. Thanks, Morocco.”

Youssra Zhhata, a Moroccan woman who was at the game, stressed that “they made it to the semifinals and that’s an accomplishment. ... And we had Africans, Arabs, everyone supporting us.”

Morocco was under French rule from 1912-56, giving the match political and emotional resonance for both nations.

Morocco has exceeded all expectations in Qatar by beating second-ranked Belgium in the group stage and then eliminating European powerhouses Spain and Portugal in the knockout phase to reach the semifinals, Associated Press reported.

In Gaza, Palestinians who thronged cafes and outdoor large screens expressed disappointment at Morocco’s loss.

“All of Gaza is now sad for this result. We were hoping they would win,” said Wael al-Riffi, a Gaza resident, as he held Morocco’s flag.

Crowds also gathered in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to watch the game.

The Palestinians felt empathy from the Moroccan national team as players held the Palestinian flag several times at the World Cup.

Lionel Messi bent over, clutched his left hamstring and appeared to grimace, immediately spreading panic through the soccer world but especially among all Argentines.

Was their superstar — their idol — injured? Was he going to have to come off early in the World Cup semifinals?

No such luck for Croatia.

Before long, Messi was producing perhaps the best performance of his record-tying 25 appearances at the World Cup, leading Argentina to a 3-0 victory over Croatia on Tuesday that set up a meeting with either France or Morocco in Sunday’s final, Associated Press reported.

Messi is back in soccer’s biggest match on his mission to win the game’s greatest prize for the first time. At 35, he could hardly be playing any better.

Messi converted a penalty and played a part in the other two goals by Julián Álvarez — one with an outrageous piece of skill that brought roars of approval from Argentina’s huge following — to turn an initially tense occasion into a procession.

“A lot is going through my head — it’s very emotional seeing all of this,” Messi said in a post-match interview on the field as he looked up at Argentina’s celebrating, scarf-waving supporters. “To see the fans — ‘the family’ — during the whole tournament was so incredible. We’re going to the final, which is what we wanted.”

It will be Messi’s second World Cup final — Argentina lost the other one to Germany in 2014 — in what might be his last appearance at the tournament.

The stage is set for a player widely regarded as one of the game’s best, if not the absolute best, to go out on the ultimate high.

He is thrilling his legion of fans along the way.

His swivel and driving run to set up the third goal for Álvarez in the 69th minute left Josko Gvardiol — one of the best defenders at the World Cup — grasping at thin air and epitomized Messi’s confidence and swagger.

He is embracing the responsibility of leading Argentina to its third World Cup title, scoring in five of his six games in Qatar.

He even had a penalty saved in the one game in which he didn’t score.

“I am honored to train him and see him play,” said Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni, who was in tears in the post-match celebrations. “Every time you see him play, it’s a huge source of motivation for his teammates, fans and the whole world.”

Croatia failed in its bid to reach a second straight World Cup final after conceding two goals in a five-minute span from the 34th, just when the team was looking comfortable at Lusail Stadium and Messi was raising concerns by rubbing his hamstring.

Maybe it was a ruse. Messi was soon toying with his opponents in a way only he can and put Argentina ahead by lifting his penalty into the top corner after Álvarez was taken out by Dominik Livakovic after clipping the ball past the Croatia goalkeeper, according to Associated Press.

Álvarez scored himself in the 39th after a surging run from halfway, which started after he collected Messi’s short pass. Then came the crowning moment, Álvarez’s second goal, after Messi took Gvardiol for a ride in the right corner.

It was one game too far for Croatia, which had beaten Japan and Brazil on penalties in the knockout stage, and star midfielder Luka Modric, who — at 37 — has likely played his final World Cup match.

Summing up a frustrating game for the little midfield magician, he was substituted in the 81st minute and had a bright red nose after the ball slammed into his face moments earlier.

“The first goal took the match in a different direction,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić said. “It’s the true Messi we all expected to see.”

Argentina maintained its record of never having lost in the World Cup semifinals and has reached the final for the sixth time.

Those dark days after losing to Saudi Arabia in its opening group match seem so long ago now for Argentina, which will be hard to stop in the final with Messi playing this well, Associated Press reported.

“Even though we lost our first match, we were confident that this group was going to push forward,” Messi said. “We know what we are, and we called on the fans to believe in us.”