Manchester United defender Lisandro Martinez accused reporters of 'generating controversy' ahead of Argentina's World Cup quarter-final against Switzerland. The reigning champions face Switzerland in the early hours of Sunday morning, with a potential semi-final clash against either England or Norway on the line.
Martinez dismisses refereeing questions
When asked by a journalist at Argentina's training ground whether he had any comment on the standard of refereeing at the World Cup, Martinez replied sharply: 'No, absolutely nothing. I think they are doing an excellent job. That's something for you [the media], who sometimes generate the controversies.' The 28-year-old added: 'We concern ourselves with giving our best on the pitch and nothing more,' before walking off, according to Reuters.
Argentina have come under scrutiny following accusations from fans and opponents that FIFA referees have rigged the tournament in their favour. While such claims are baseless, Lionel Messi was fortunate not to be sent off for a bad foul in the opening match against Algeria, in which he scored a hat-trick. In the round of 16 against Egypt, Argentina came from two goals down to win in injury time, but Egypt had a goal controversially disallowed by VAR for a foul in the build-up. Egypt's Mostafa Zico, who scored the disallowed goal, said post-match: 'It is clear that this tournament has been fixed.' The Egyptian Football Association has filed a complaint to FIFA.
Martinez's tournament performance
Martinez has started all but one of Argentina's five games at the tournament, scoring a goal and providing an assist in the 3-2 win over Cape Verde. However, his performance against Egypt was strongly criticised. Despite this, he remains focused on the quarter-final challenge. 'As always, what identifies this team is respecting the opponent,' Martinez said. 'If Switzerland are at this stage, it's because they have a lot of merit. We watched their match against Colombia and they always try to play. They are very strong physically and also in set-pieces. I think it will be a great spectacle because both teams try to play.'
Argentina's World Cup journey
Argentina began their World Cup campaign in style by easily topping their group but have found the knockout stages trickier, narrowly beating Cape Verde and Egypt. They now face a physically strong Switzerland side that reached the quarter-finals after a hard-fought victory over Colombia. The match promises to be a tightly contested battle as Argentina aim to defend their title.
