Lionel Messi's escape from a red card during Argentina's World Cup clash against Algeria has sparked allegations that the tournament is being manipulated. The 38-year-old Argentina captain appeared to plant the studs of his left boot into the right leg of Algerian defender Aissa Mandi, yet was not even shown a yellow card.
Incident Details
The flashpoint occurred shortly after Messi scored Argentina's opening goal of the competition. Mandi, the Lille defender, was left clutching his calf after tumbling to the turf. Messi went on to score two more goals in the second half, securing his first World Cup hat-trick, but his continued participation remained contentious.
Fan and Pundit Reactions
Social media erupted with accusations of bias. 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 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."
Multiple pundits also believed the tackle warranted a dismissal. Nedum Onuoha said on ESPN: "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. 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."
His fellow pundit Ale Moreno concurred: "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." Moreno added: "Why is 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."
FIFA Silent
FIFA has not yet commented on the accusations or the incident.
