Lionel Messi's escape from a red card during Argentina's World Cup opener against Algeria has reignited claims that the tournament is rigged in favor of star players. The Argentine captain appeared to plant his studs into the right leg of defender Aissa Mandi, leaving the Lille player clutching his calf. Remarkably, Messi was not even shown a yellow card for the challenge, which occurred shortly after he scored Argentina's first goal. He later completed a hat-trick, but the incident sparked fierce debate.
Fans and Pundits React
One user on X wrote: "It's so obvious that FIFA is going to protect Messi again this World Cup. That should have easily been a red card. Expect the same with (Cristiano) Ronaldo. It's going to be rigged for them to play against each other." Another added: "There's no way this isn't a red card. Even Messi himself realised the blunder he made. They didn't even give him a yellow." A third said: "Nah, this is a clear RED card for Messi. Almost broke this man's leg. Blame the ref and VAR. Clear red card for Messi."
Pundits Weigh In
ESPN pundit Nedum Onuoha commented: "It probably should have been a red card. It feels like the moment was missed. When the player was on the floor, you could see Messi had a level of concern towards him because he knew that he potentially had just done something there that could get him in trouble." He added: "I think the referee's probably missed it, and I understand why the referee's missed it, but for the video assistant referee to look at that and say 'nah, that's all fine, there's nothing more to it', I personally think that is worthy of a red card."
Fellow pundit Ale Moreno was in full agreement: "100% a red card for Lionel Messi. It should have been. I tell you what else is concerning, it plays along this narrative that great players get preferential treatment... It plays into the narrative that these guys get a different sort of treatment." He questioned: "Why is (the referee) Szymon Marciniak not being called over to see this? It should have been a red card for Lionel Messi. As much as I love Lionel Messi, that was a clumsy challenge, a bad challenge, you're raking the back of someone's calf all the way up from the knee down to the ankle. Should have been a red card."
